A recent surge in violence and escalating political tensions in South Sudan are putting a fragile peace process in jeopardy, a UN human rights commission warned Saturday.
It comes after several key arrests, including officials loyal to Vice President Riek Machar, that have cast doubt on the future of the 2018 peace agreement that ended a brutal civil war.
"We are witnessing an alarming regression that could erase years of hard-won progress," Yasmin Sooka, chairperson of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, said in a statement.
She urged leaders to "urgently refocus on the peace process, uphold the human rights of South Sudanese citizens, and ensure a smooth transition to democracy." Tensions erupted earlier this month when security forces loyal to President Salva Kiir arrested two ministers and several senior military officials linked to Machar.
It came amid violent clashes between national forces and the White Army militia, a group predominantly from Machar’s ethnic Nuer community, in the northern town of Nasir. -Fragile peace agreement The violence has sparked fears that the power-sharing agreement, which was supposed to unite the country's warring factions under a single government, is unraveling.
"Rather than fueling division and conflict, leaders must urgently refocus on the peace process," Sooka urged.
Attacking a military garrison
The arrests were partially attributed to an alleged collaboration between Machar’s faction and the White Army militia, which is accused of attacking a military garrison Tuesday near Nasir. Machar’s party, however, has denied the allegations.
Information Minister Michael Makuei has said the arrests were made due to legal conflicts with the law. In a related incident, a UN helicopter attempting to evacuate soldiers from Nasir was shot down Friday, killing a crew member and several soldiers.
The attack further intensified the volatile situation in the region.
Barney Afako, another member of the UN commission, echoed concerns, describing the environment as a return to the "reckless power struggles that have devastated the country in the past."
Afako emphasised that the South Sudanese “deserve respite and peace, not another cycle of war.”
South Sudan, which became the world’s youngest nation in 2011, descended into civil war by 2013.
Although a peace deal in 2018 brought a cessation of hostilities, the implementation of key reforms, including the disarmament of armed groups and preparations for elections, has stalled.
