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Tag: President Salva Kiir

  • South Sudan security ‘markedly worsened’: western embassies

    South Sudan security ‘markedly worsened’: western embassies

    The embassies of Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Britain, United States and European Union said Friday that South Sudan’s political and security situation has “markedly worsened” in ways not seen since the end of the country’s civil war.

    Months of clashes between President Salva Kiir’s forces and those loyal to the first vice-president Riek Machar, who was arrested in March, have stoked fears of a return to the civil war that only ended in 2018 after claiming some 400,000 lives.

    The deal ending the five-year conflict has looked increasingly fragile as Kiir’s allies have accused Machar’s allies of fomenting unrest in Nasir County, Upper Nile State, in league with the so-called White Army, a loose band of ethnic Nuer armed youths.

    In a joint statement, the embassies said they “strongly concur” with a recent assessment by the Chairman of the Revitalised Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) — the body supervising implementation of the peace deal — noting “the political and security situation in South Sudan has markedly worsened in ways not seen since 2018”.

    The RJMEC quarterly report said on Monday that “in scenes not seen since the signing of the R-ARCSS over six years ago”, a reference to the peace deal, armed conflict and violence had “erupted across the country” with opposition politicians detained and Machar under house arrest.

    The embassies warning follows a recent government statement listing nine counties that contain the Nuer ethnic group as “considered hostile”, meaning aligned with Machar’s party. The move was labelled by an opposition politician as “nothing short of a mapping for genocide”.

    The embassies said they “deplore” such a move by the government.

    The statement also reaffirmed their “urgent call” for Machar’s release, as well as urging all leaders “to end the use of violence as a tool for political competition” and to return to dialogue “urgently aimed at achieving a political solution”.

    Since March the violence has led to the deaths of at least 200 people across several South Sudan states and displaced around 125,000 more, according to the United Nations.

    International bodies have increasingly sounded the alarm over the situation, which since declaring independence in 2011 has battled chronic instability and insecurity.

  • International community offers to facilitate South Sudan peace talks

    International community offers to facilitate South Sudan peace talks

    The international community has offered to assist in facilitating direct communication between the South Sudan’s leaders in an attempt to bring peace and stability back to the country.

    The Embassies of Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the European Union Delegation, Tuesday issued a joint statement reaffirming their commitment to facilitate diplomatic talks between First Vice President Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir.

    “We reaffirm as a matter of urgency our call that South Sudan’s leaders, including President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, meet and engage in direct dialogue to restore and maintain peace. We are prepared to facilitate their discussion.” Read the statement.

    The statement condemned the continued violence in Upper Nile State, including aerial bombardment in Nasir County and credible reports of civilian casualties.

    Additionally, the embassies voiced concerns over reports of South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) survivors from the Nasir Garrison being unable to return to safety, as well as the continued detention of senior officials in Juba without charges.

    “The Embassies of Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the Delegation of the European Union, deplore the continued violence in Upper Nile State, including aerial bombardment in Nasir County and credible reports of civilian casualties. We remain concerned about reports of SSPDF survivors of the Nasir Garrison who have been unable to return to safe locations, as well as of continued detentions in Juba of senior officials without charges.” The statement read.

    The international community further called on all South Sudan’s leaders to avoid unilateral actions, to reject the use of violence as a tool for political competition, and to put the interests of the South Sudanese people first.

  • Mudavadi arrives in Sudan for talks with President Salva Kiir

    Mudavadi arrives in Sudan for talks with President Salva Kiir

    Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has landed in South Sudan.

    Musalia was received by Amb. Maj. Gen. Samuel Nandwa,
    Minister Presidential Affairs Benjamin Marial Barnaba among other leaders.

    The Prime Cabinet Secretary is scheduled to meet with Salva Kiir Mayardit, the President of the Republic of South Sudan, and convey a special message from President William Ruto.

  • Sudan crisis threatens to hobble South Sudan’s transition, UN mission chief says

    Sudan crisis threatens to hobble South Sudan’s transition, UN mission chief says

    United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for South Sudan Nicholas Haysom says the cross-border impact of the crisis in Sudan is unfurling along multiple fronts calling for urgent action to ease rising tensions that has already resulted in deadly clashes.

    “Now is not the time to take our eyes off the ball in South Sudan,” Haysom  who also heads the UN mission in the country (UNMISS) told the Security Council on Tuesday. “What we can learn from Sudan is how quickly hard-won peace gains can unravel.” He added.

    He said that the Sudan crisis is reducing much-needed bandwidth to focus on South Sudan during its critical transition phase.

    While commending President Salva Kiir and regional body the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) for advancing initiatives to end the Sudan conflict, he said the “timeline of the peace process in South Sudan should not be allowed to become the opportunity cost of these efforts”.

    Rippling effects

    The Sudan crisis, which began when rival militaries clashed in mid-April, has caused a broad range of ripple effects, among them the implementation of the Revitalized Peace Agreement in South Sudan, he said.

    The conflict has also strained Government capacities to receive thousands fleeing violence across the northern border and could hobble the economy.

    “Crude oil exports are an economic lifeline,” Haysom said. “If interrupted, as recently threatened, [it] could have devastating effects on the South Sudanese economy.”

    South Sudanese returnees comprise more than 93 per cent of the 117,000 people entering the country while fleeing the continued fighting in Sudan, he said, adding that the absorption capacity of the Government and humanitarians is under strain, notably in the border town of Renk.

    Deadly clashes

    At the same time, these factors are exacerbating existing triggers and drivers of conflict across South Sudan, including in Renk and Malakal, amid increased competition over scarce resources, economic hardship, pre-existing communal tensions, and the presence of firearms, he said, adding that two violent deaths had triggered deadly clashes with armed youth groups.

    At the authorities’ request, humanitarians have temporarily suspended the movement to Malakal of new arrivals from Sudan, he said.

    For its part, the UN mission’s prevention plan includes intensified patrols and reinvigorating its presence on the ground, he said.

    ‘Patchwork of conflict’

    “The flare up of tensions in Malakal only adds to the much wider patchwork of intercommunal and subnational conflict that the [UN] Mission is grappling with,” he said, highlighting such human rights violations as extrajudicial killings.

    After four years of incessant rainfall, an expected drought can threaten food security, he said, condemning attacks on humanitarians and the recent theft of seven tonnes of supplies from the World Food Programme (WFP) on the ground.

    With needs increasing and resources dwindling, humanitarian actors have had to redirect funding to address the influx of South Sudanese returnees who are fleeing the violence in Sudan, he said, noting that only one third of the current humanitarian response plan is funded.

    Politics and progress

    “As it stands today, South Sudan is not ready to roll out an electoral process,” he said, adding that all stakeholders recognizing the urgent need to address the issue. “We also believe that with a united effort amongst all parties, it may be possible for South Sudan to make up the gap.

    The constitution-making process is 10 months behind schedule and the election is nine months behind, he said.

    As such, he urged the relevant stakeholders to “double-down” on passing the National Elections Act in Parliament and operationalize the National Elections Commission, “so that the South Sudanese people can begin to decide the form and content of their new constitution and electoral system”.

    However, no electoral process can be credible and successful without adequate civic and political space for all citizens to participate in it, and a great deal needs to be done in this regard, he added.

    “The challenges are many in South Sudan, but I am hopeful that with cooperation, partnership, and sustained leadership, a positive change in the lives of the South Sudanese people can be achieved,” he said.