Jurist UN commission alerts to looming war in South Sudan

[Dadparvar]

UN Commission on the Human Rights in South Sudan members on Wednesday voiced concern over the growing risk of nation-wide conflict returning to South Sudan.

The commission pointed to increasing armed altercations, political uprisings and detentions, and human rights violations within the country. Investigators determined the majority of these tensions have resulted from widespread political corruption. Commissioner Barney Afako emphasized these concerns, stating:

The ceasefire is not holding, political detentions have become a tool of repression, the peace agreement’s key provisions are being systematically violated, and the Government forces are using aerial bombardments in civilian areas. All indicators point to a slide back toward another deadly war.

Civil war has plagued the South Sudanese throughout their history, occurring both pre- and post-independence from Sudan. Sudan experienced its first civil war from 1955-1972 as a result of tension between the Arab-Muslim North and the non-Arab, Christian South. The Southern Sudan Autonomous Region (SSAR) was created to end that war.

The Second Sudanese Civil War erupted in 1983 over Sudanese then-president Gaafar Nimeiry’s declaration that Sudan was officially an Islamic country. The war lasted until 2005, when a peace agreement gave Southern Sudan more independence. The conflict is the longest civil war in African history, claiming roughly 2.5 million lives. South Sudan eventually officially succeeded from Sudan in 2011.

South Sudan experienced an internal civil war from 2013-2015 due to conflict between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his cabinet, created by threats of a coup d’etat. Peace agreements were signed in 2015 and 2018, but tensions continued to linger.

Today, the UN and neighboring African countries have continued to pressure the South Sudanese government to draft a permanent constitution, set up the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, as well as begin to foster an inclusive political system.The UN peacekeeping efforts have continuously sought to aid over 1.3 million internally displaced people in South Sudan.

Commission Chair Yasmin Sooka left the Assembly and the South Sudanese government with a call to action, stating:

Peace will not come through words or handshakes… It will come through concrete actions—ending impunity, protecting civilians, and building institutions that serve people, not power. Justice and accountability must not remain deferred promises. The international community must move beyond expressions of concern to concrete, coordinated action. Otherwise, the suffering will only intensify.

The Commission on the Human Rights in South Sudan was created as an independent body whose purpose is to investigate potential human rights violations within the country.

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