South Sudan, the world's youngest nation, is reeling from an escalating conflict between the government-aligned army and opposition forces, which observers warn risks returning the country to a full-blown civil war. Violent confrontations between the military, loyal to President Salva Kiir, and insurgents believed to be allied with suspended Vice-President Riek Machar have increased significantly in recent weeks, highlighting the fragility of the 2018 peace agreement.
On Sunday, at least 169 people were killed after armed youth from Mayom county in the north raided a village in neighbouring Abiemnom county near the Sudan border. James Monyluak Majok, the information minister for the administrative area of Ruweng where Abiemnom is located, stated that the victims included women, children, and members of government security forces. The UN mission in South Sudan reported it was sheltering over 1,000 civilians in its base in the area and providing medical care to the injured, with about 23 people wounded in the attack. Stephano Wieu de Mialek, the chief administrator of Ruweng, claimed the assault was carried out by people linked to the White Army—a militia allied with Machar during the civil war—alongside forces affiliated with Machar's political party and rebel group, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO). The group denied responsibility for the attack, asserting it had no military presence in the area.
Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) announced on Monday that 26 of its staff were unaccounted for following recent violence in parts of Jonglei state, which has witnessed intense fighting between government and opposition forces since December. The humanitarian organization detailed that its hospital in Lankien was hit in an airstrike by government forces and later burned and looted, while its health facility in Pieri was also looted. MSF stated it had been forced to suspend medical activities in both locations due to the insecurity, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in a region already grappling with displacement and violence.
The roots of the current conflict trace back to the independence struggle, with Machar and Kiir both members of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army guerrilla movement that fought for independence from Sudan, achieved in 2011. South Sudan descended into a bloody civil war in 2013 after Kiir fired Machar and later accused him of planning a coup. Machar founded the SPLM-IO, and the ensuing fighting, largely along ethnic lines between Kiir's Dinka community and Machar's Nuer group, killed over 400,000 people and displaced nearly half the population. A peace deal signed in 2018 ended the civil war and reinstated Machar as vice-president in a unity government, but implementation has stalled due to persistent power-sharing disputes between the two parties.
In September last year, Machar was charged with murder, treason, and other serious crimes in connection with a deadly attack by the White Army on a government army garrison in Nasir county. Kiir subsequently suspended him from his post, and Machar is currently under house arrest as his trial continues. His supporters allege the charges are politically motivated, and analysts warn that Machar's prosecution could jeopardize the already fragile peace agreement. The removal and legal targeting of Machar have inflamed tensions, coinciding with a dramatic surge in violence, particularly in the opposition stronghold of Jonglei state, where opposition forces captured government outposts in December, prompting a government counteroffensive since January. Fighting in the region has displaced an estimated 280,000 people over the past two months, underscoring the severe humanitarian toll and the deepening instability in South Sudan.
Source: www.theguardian.com