South Sudan risks return to war, UN boss warns

The Chairperson of the United Nations Commission for Human Rights in South Sudan, Yasmin Sooka, has warned the country is at risk of sliding back into conflict

Sooka said Friday that the spate of inter-communal violence and political infighting are threatening to undo even the limited progress made in implementing the peace process.

South Sudan suffered from chronic instability since 2013 when conflict broke out and claimed nearly 400,000 lives.

The 2018 agreement which ended the war has been bedevilled by bickering between rival parties.

Key provisions of the agreement remained outstanding with less than a year left before the country’s elections contentiously slated for 2023.

“There is a real risk of going back to conflict,” Sooka told reporters in Juba on Friday during a visit to the country.

Sooka claimed that the failure to form a unified armed forces command, a key component of the peace deal, has created an environment in which violence remains rife.

Thirty-two people, including children, were killed in armed raids in Jonglei state last month.

Political instability has added to the challenges, with Machar facing growing opposition within his own ranks, as top cadres complain about losing ground to Kiir’s party.

The pair’s shaky alliance faced a fresh threat in August when fighting erupted between rival factions of Machar’s party, leaving at least 32 people dead.

Machar said the clashes were aimed at derailing the formation of a unified army, with the parties yet to agree on a power-sharing deal on the issue.

South Sudan has struggled with war, famine and chronic political and economic crisis since celebrating its hard-fought independence from Sudan in July 2011.