The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has expressed grave concern over reports that a senior military leader is urging troops to carry out violence against civilians, warning that such rhetoric has already contributed to the displacement of more than 180,000 people. UN officials condemned calls for attacks on civilians as abhorrent and urged an immediate end to inflammatory language that places the most vulnerable at risk.
South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, descended into civil war shortly thereafter, with conflict largely fought between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those aligned with opposition leader and First Vice President Riek Machar. Despite the signing of a peace agreement in 2018 and the formation of a transitional unity government, violence, tensions and ceasefire violations continue to persist across the country.
According to UNMISS, communities in Jonglei and other affected areas are suffering severe consequences from escalating hostilities, including direct military confrontations. The Mission has called on national leaders to put the welfare of civilians first by halting the fighting, honouring the peace agreement, and returning to consensus-based decision-making, power-sharing arrangements and inclusive political dialogue to peacefully conclude the transitional period.
The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has also raised alarm, warning that inflammatory rhetoric by senior military figures and reports of force mobilisation are significantly increasing the risk of mass violence against civilians and further undermining the peace process. The Commission stressed that under international law, both military and civilian leaders can be held criminally responsible for inciting violence or failing to prevent or punish crimes committed by forces under their control.
Commission members warned that language advocating the killing of civilians and those no longer taking part in hostilities is deeply dangerous, noting that similar rhetoric in South Sudan’s past has preceded mass atrocities. They said such statements, when issued or tolerated by those in command positions, signal permission for violence and eliminate expectations of restraint in an already volatile and ethnically divided environment.
The Commission described the current escalation as part of a broader political breakdown driven by repeated violations of the peace agreement and the erosion of command discipline. It cautioned that the mobilisation of forces alongside ethnically charged messaging could trigger cycles of retaliatory violence that may rapidly spiral out of control.
Calling for urgent de-escalation, the Commission urged all parties to immediately stop inflammatory rhetoric and military mobilisation. It emphasized that the President, as Commander-in-Chief, along with other senior defence officials, bears a heightened responsibility to maintain effective control over armed forces and prevent abuses.
Finally, the Commission appealed to regional and international partners to urgently re-engage in support of the peace process and press South Sudan’s leaders to return to a political path. It warned that failure to act could lead to a renewed ethnic conflict and another preventable tragedy, stressing that decisive leadership, restraint and accountability are essential to avert catastrophe.
