Clashes between South Sudan’s army and forces loyal to Vice President Riek Machar have claimed the lives of at least 75 civilians since February, according to UN human rights chief Volker Türk.
In a statement released on Friday, Türk reported that dozens more have been injured and thousands displaced amid the ongoing violence in the country, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011.
South Sudan endured a brutal civil war from 2013 to 2018, resulting in approximately 400,000 deaths and the displacement of four million people. Although a power-sharing agreement in 2018 brought a fragile peace, recent tensions have reignited conflict between President Salva Kiir’s faction and Machar’s supporters. Machar himself was arrested in March.
Fighting between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), and associated militias has intensified in Jonglei and Upper Nile states, with reports of indiscriminate aerial bombardments and ground offensives. Civilian areas, including a facility run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), have also been struck.
On Wednesday, SPLA-IO and allied groups launched a counter-offensive in Fangak county, prompting even more civilians to flee. A UN estimate from mid-April placed the number of newly displaced people at around 125,000.
Türk also noted the arrest of dozens of opposition politicians, including SPLM-IO members, ministers, MPs, military officers, and civilians. He voiced concern over arbitrary detentions and rising hate speech since February.
“All parties must urgently pull back from the brink,” he said, urging adherence to the 2018 peace agreement. The growing violence, he warned, threatens to deepen the already dire humanitarian crisis and widespread human rights violations.
