UN chief: World leaders must speak with one voice to prevent a new civil
war in South Sudan
[March 29, 2025]
By EDITH M. LEDERER
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief urged regional and
international leaders Friday to prevent South Sudan from falling “over
the abyss” into another civil war and speak with one voice to support a
return to peace.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that the world’s newest and
one of its poorest countries is facing “a security emergency” with
intensifying clashes and a “political upheaval” culminating with this
week’s arrest by the government of First Vice President Riek Machar.
“Meanwhile, ethnic and political targeting by security forces — coupled
with the spread of misinformation on social media — is lighting the fuse
for even worse,” he warned. “Let’s not mince words: What we are seeing
is darkly reminiscent of the 2013 and 2016 civil wars, which killed
400,000 people.”
The civil wars ended in a 2018 peace agreement that brought President
Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, and Machar, an ethnic Nuer, together in a
unity government, which is supposed to be heading toward delayed
national elections in December 2026.
But tensions have been increasing between Kiir's and Machar’s parties,
and they escalated in March when the White Army, an armed group loyal to
Machar, overran an army base in Upper Nile state and attacked a U.N.
helicopter. The government responded with deadly airstrikes.
Guterres urged South Sudan’s leaders to “end the politics of
confrontation,” restore the national unity government, and release
detained military and civilian officials now.
“I also urge the regional and international community, as guarantors of
the (2018) peace agreement, to speak with one voice in support of the
peace process and against any attempts to undermine it,” he said.
Guterres said he spoke to the chair of the African Union Commission on
Friday morning and announced the U.N.’s support for the deployment of
the AU’s five-member Panel of the Wise and the special envoy of Kenya’s
President William Ruto to South Sudan’s capital, Juba, to pursue a
diplomatic solution.
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United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks with the
media during an EU summit in Brussels, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (AP
Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)
The U.N. chief said the Panel of the Wise and Kenyan envoy Raila
Odinga will visit both Kiir and Machar.
Odinga, a former prime minister of Kenya, was in Juba on Friday. But
it was not immediately clear if he was able to meet with Machar.
South Sudan’s Information Minister Michael Makuei said in a
statement Friday that Machar was under house arrest pending an
investigation into subversive activities.
Machar was arrested to maintain stability and prevent the country
from sliding back into conflict, he said, adding that the 2018 peace
agreement with Machar remains in place.
“The agreement has not collapsed,” Makuei said.
But Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, deputy chairperson of the country’s main
opposition party led by Machar, said Thursday the 2018 agreement
“has been abrogated.” He said Machar’s arrest shows a lack of
political goodwill to achieve peace and stability.
Guterres stressed that the United Nations wants to see the visits by
Odinga and the AU’s Panel of the Wise produce “the effect we want.”
“And the effect we want is the re-establishment of the peace
agreement and the creation of conditions for peace in South Sudan,”
he said.
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Associated Press reporter Deng Machol in Juba, South Sudan,
contributed to this report.
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