9 countries voice concern over violence in South Sudan’s Jonglei, Eastern Equatoria

By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - Nine countries on Tuesday expressed “grave” concern over the latest violence in South Sudan’s Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria states and other areas, according to a joint statement.

The embassies of Canada, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and the US urged all parties to agree to an “immediate cessation of hostilities and to resolve issues through peaceful dialogue,” said the statement posted on US social media company X by the German Embassy.

The diplomatic missions reiterated their call for the parties to ensure “safe and unhindered humanitarian access.”

The statement followed recent fighting between the South Sudanese army and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO).

Expressing concern over the clashes between the main parties to a 2018 peace agreement, the UN mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said earlier that the conflict is causing “immense harm, including through aerial bombardments of civilian areas.”

South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, gained independence from Sudan in 2011 following a referendum.

However, it has remained mired in conflict since December 2013, when President Salva Kiir Mayardit dismissed and accused then-Vice President Riek Machar of plotting a coup.

Despite peace deals signed in 2018 and 2022, instability persists.

In February, a militia group known as the White Army, largely made up of members of Machar’s Nuer ethnic group, seized a town in the Upper Nile State. In response, several generals and government ministers affiliated with Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition were detained.

Opposition leader Machar and several other detained figures face serious charges, including murder, treason, and crimes against humanity, and are also accused of conspiracy, financing terrorist activities, destroying public and military property, and inciting violence in Nasir County.