The United States has ordered the departure of all non-emergency government personnel from South Sudan, citing escalating tensions and ongoing armed conflict in the country. In a statement, the U.S. State Department warned, “Armed conflict is ongoing and includes fighting between various political and ethnic groups. Weapons are readily available to the population.”
The move comes as a fragile peace agreement between South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar, signed in 2018 to end a five-year civil war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives, faces renewed threats. Recent clashes have raised concerns about the stability of the deal, which has yet to fully address key issues such as the creation of a unified national army, a new constitution, and the holding of elections.
Regional Leaders Discuss South Sudan’s Stability
Amid the unrest, Sudanese Sovereign Council leader Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir held a phone call on Sunday to discuss bilateral relations and mutual concerns, according to a statement from the Sudanese council. Burhan expressed reassurance about the overall situation in South Sudan and emphasized Sudan’s commitment to supporting security and stability in its neighboring nation. Kiir, in turn, reaffirmed his government’s dedication to strengthening cooperation with Sudan and normalizing security conditions within South Sudan.
The diplomatic discussions followed a week of heightened tensions, including the arrest of the deputy chief of the South Sudanese army and two ministers allied with Vice President Machar. An opposition spokesman condemned the arrests as a “grave violation” of the 2018 peace agreement.
A Fragile Peace in the World’s Youngest Nation
South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, became the world’s newest nation. However, just two years later, a power struggle between Kiir and Machar erupted into a brutal civil war that left an estimated 400,000 people dead. The 2018 peace deal, which established a power-sharing government, was hailed as a breakthrough. Yet, critical components of the agreement remain unimplemented, such as a new constitution, elections, and military reunification leaving the nation’s future stability uncertain.
As international concern grows over the potential collapse of the peace deal, the U.S. evacuation order underscores the precarious security situation in South Sudan and the challenges facing its leaders in achieving lasting peace.