Folly and recklessness: UN rights body slams RTGoNU over peace sabotage

Fri 2025-06-13

JUBA – From the detention of Dr Riek Machar and his allies, relentless airstrikes on civilian-populated areas, to an ongoing military recruitment drive, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has slammed the Revitalised Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) for executing actions aimed at derailing the implementation of the peace agreement.

In a statement released Friday, Barney Afako, a senior official from the commission, described the attempts to sabotage the implementation of the agreement as an act of recklessness that could push South Sudan into another wave of civil war and spark regional instability.

“Salvaging South Sudan’s peace agreement should be of utmost priority in an already turbulent region, as the agreement enables political adversaries to partner towards a transformative transition in this country,” said Mr. Afako in a statement obtained by .

“Torpedoing the transition is an act of profound folly and recklessness that is already reigniting violence, deepening insecurity, and imposing further grave violations on long-suffering citizens, and undermining regional peace architectures,” he added.

The commissioner urged regional partners and peace guarantors not to endorse “these damaging machinations; rather, they should resolve to urgently restore a credible transition that will deliver citizens’ aspirations for durable peace and justice.”

The commission sounded the alarm that the 2018 Revitalized (Peace) Agreement was at serious risk of collapse and called for urgent, coordinated regional intervention to salvage the faltering peace process, stressing that escalating military offensives, political crackdowns, and foreign military presence are not only accelerating the breakdown of the Agreement but also fueling deep fear, instability, and widespread trauma among the people of South Sudan.

“South Sudan’s peace agreement is in crisis,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission. “The renewed violence is pushing the Revitalised Peace Agreement to the brink of irrelevance, threatening a total collapse. Such a breakdown risks fragmenting the country even further,” she added.

Sooker implored the African Union and IGAD to urgently increase their leverage and pressure on South Sudan’s leaders to de-escalate tensions, return to meaningful dialogue, and fully implement the peace agreement, which remains the only credible pathway to stability, peace, and democratic transition.

Earlier this week, the Commission held consultative dialogues with a range of stakeholders, including civil society representatives, to assess the deepening crisis and explore measures to avert a return to civil war.

In its public statement, the commission noted that participants expressed widespread fear and anxiety among communities, who are increasingly traumatised by persistent violence, arbitrary arrests, and the erosion of civic space.

Since March 2025, the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) have launched sustained military operations, including airstrikes on civilian-populated areas, causing significant casualties and mass displacement.

A state of emergency has been declared in several regions where operations continue. Reports of Ugandan forces supporting the SSPDF, alongside the government’s move to recruit thousands of additional soldiers – seemingly outside the security sector reform commitments in the Revitalised Agreement and pointing towards protracted conflict – have further heightened public fear and concern over looming widespread violations.

sudanspost.com