By Ebi Kesiena
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has expressed grave concern over reports that a senior military commander urged troops to attack civilians in Jonglei State.
In a statement issued on Sunday, UNMISS said more than 180,000 people have reportedly been displaced in Jonglei, noting that communities there and across the country are “suffering immense harm” as fighting intensifies between the main parties to the 2018 peace agreement.
The mission observed that while South Sudan’s leaders continue to publicly reaffirm their commitment to peace, hostilities and ceasefire violations persist.
“Inflammatory rhetoric calling for violence against civilians, including the most vulnerable, is utterly abhorrent and must stop now,” said Graham Maitland, Officer-in-Charge of UNMISS.
Maitland urged the country’s leadership to immediately halt the fighting, respect the peace agreement, and prioritise the welfare of the population.
He stressed the need for a return to consensus-based decision-making, strict adherence to power-sharing arrangements, and agreement on a clear, peaceful path to end the transitional period through inclusive dialogue.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence from Sudan in 2011 following a referendum. However, it has been plagued by instability since December 2013, when President Salva Kiir Mayardit dismissed and accused then Vice President Riek Machar of plotting a coup.
Although peace agreements were signed in 2018 and 2022, violence has continued in parts of the country. In February last year, the White Army militia, largely drawn from Machar’s Nuer ethnic group, seized a town in Upper Nile State, prompting the arrest of several generals and government ministers linked to Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition.
