Leaders driving South Sudan towards full-scale war and mass atrocities
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John Ashworth
Feb 27, 2026, 9:22:40 AM (13 days ago) Feb 27
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United Nations (UN) inquiry finds South Sudan’s political and military
leaders are driving the country towards a full-scale war and mass
atrocity crimes
The Commission calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities,
restoration and full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement, and
compliance with South Sudan’s obligations under international law
GENEVA, Switzerland, February 27, 2026/APO Group/ -- South Sudan’s
political and military leaders are systematically dismantling the 2018
Revitalized Peace agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South
Sudan, undermining governance and security safeguards and exposing
civilians to grave risks of renewed armed conflict, mass atrocity
crimes, and serious violations of international human rights law and
international humanitarian law, the UN Commission on Human Rights in
South Sudan warned today, presenting its latest investigative report
to the Human Rights Council.
The Commission calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities,
restoration and full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement, and
compliance with South Sudan’s obligations under international law.
“Last March, the President declared South Sudan would not return to
war. To the contrary, we have seen an alarming regression. Government
forces have since carried out widespread and systematic attacks
against civilians, including unlawful killings, indiscriminate,
disproportionate aerial bombardment of civilian homes and medical
facilities in violation of the principles of distinction,
proportionality and precaution under international humanitarian law.
The Commission also documented incidents of conflict-related sexual
violence and the abduction and forcible recruitment of boys; conduct
prohibited under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its
Optional Protocol and customary law. Taken together, these acts may
constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under international
law,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission.
The new report draws on independent investigations conducted in South
Sudan, focused on events and cases in 2025, while noting distressing
new developments. The Commissioners presented the report today at the
UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which established the Commission
ten years ago, in March 2016.
“The Commission found that armed forces under ruling party command are
now most responsible for attacks against civilians, including patterns
of targeting linked to ethnicity and perceived political affiliation,”
added Sooka. “As attacks on Nuer civilians by government forces
continue escalating, particularly in Jonglei, we see that the ethnic
dimensions to renewed violence are inseparable from the politicized
detentions and prosecutions of opposition leaders, which are also
ethnically charged.”
In March 2025, the ruling SPLM-IG party detained opposition members
across the country, including eight opposition leaders, among them the
First Vice President, charging them with serious crimes in September
2025. These detentions and prosecutions raise serious concerns of
arbitrary detention in violation of Article 9 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, denial of fair trial
guarantees under Article 14, and unlawful executive interference with
judicial independence. The ruling party says it plans to conduct the
first national election in December 2026.
“Credible electoral processes are unrealistic in a context where civic
space is repressed, conflict rages, more than three million people are
internally displaced, and key opposition leaders are arbitrarily
detained during a politicized trial,” added Sooka.
The report identifies airstrikes on levels unprecedented since
pre-independence wars. Conducted by South Sudan People’s Defence
Forces (SSPDF), with documented support by Ugandan forces, most
bombings hit areas the ruling party declared “hostile”. Civilian
homes, hospitals and opposition sites are targeted in attacks. Many of
the improvised bombs inflicted severe burns on mostly civilian
victims, often fatal.
“Reflecting profound abdication of core duties and obligations, the
systematic bombings and forced recruitments targeting civilians have
been conducted by the very armed forces which are responsible for
citizens’ protection,” said Commissioner Barney Afako. “These are
gross violations of the State’s international human rights law
obligations and implicate leaders in serious crimes.”
The Commission documented forced recruitment in Juba led by SSPDF, in
which boys and young men were abducted and transported north to fight.
The airstrikes and forced recruitments were widely known, and well
planned, with high-level authorization. Political-military leaders
responsible for related crimes enjoy impunity.
“Air and ground attacks on civilians by government forces, mostly
targeting civilians in opposition-affiliated areas – predominantly
Nuer communities – are part and parcel of the ruling party’s
systematic dismantling of the peace agreement. When leaders treat
negotiated peace commitments as expendable, they create conditions in
which violence flourishes. South Sudan is at a dangerous crossroads,”
added Afako.
Evidence gathered by the Commission indicates these violations are
authorized, condoned, or tolerated by senior political and military
officials. This engages individual criminal responsibility, including
under the doctrine of command responsibility.
The 2018 Revitalized Agreement offers a comprehensive framework for
peace, justice and development. The Commission has consistently
emphasized the Revitalized Agreement as central to fulfilling South
Sudan’s international human rights law obligations. Yet the new report
documents its systematic dismantling throughout 2025, following years
of deliberate obstructions.
“In our close examination of the detention and prosecution of
opposition leaders, we identified serious and extensive violations of
due process,” said Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández. “A
fundamental issue is their detention without charge or lawyers for
over five months. Another is the prejudicial statements by senior
officials, and unexplained dismissals of chief justices and indeed
justice ministers in the process – which indicates executive
interference and may in part explain why judges never addressed the
unlawful detentions. The unlawful deprivation of liberty warrants
their immediate release; this should be done promptly, in accordance
with applicable law.”
The report also reiterates findings in the Commission’s paper of
September 2025, detailing grand corruption diverting revenues to
elites, rendering government institutions unable to address basic
needs and fulfill human rights. Since its publication, corruption
mechanisms have further entrenched, with the corrupt and
politically-connected Crawford Capital Ltd. intensifying its
infiltration of government.
“Systemic impunity, economic predation, and deliberate subversion of
peace agreements: over the ten years, our Commission has repeatedly
identified these as central drivers of recurrent armed conflict and
ongoing human rights violations,” said Sooka. “South Sudan’s
neighbouring countries must urgently step up their engagement and
press the ruling party to restore the Revitalized Agreement, starting
with ending military offensives, recommitting to the cessation of
hostilities and releasing opposition leaders from unlawful detention.
Without urgent course correction, South Sudan risks state failure,
further undermining regional security, and trampling the rights and
dignity of South Sudanese.”
The Commission’s key recommendations in the report are:
- To the Government: immediately cease bombings, forced recruitments,
and all violations of international law; withdraw politicized charges
against SPLM/A-IO leaders; cease actions dismantling power-sharing
arrangements and undermining judicial independence; ensure any
electoral process complies with safeguards consistent with the
Revitalized Agreement and international law.
- To all armed forces and non-State armed groups: cease attacks on
civilians; guarantee humanitarian access; enforce accountability for
rights violations.
- To the African Union and United Nations organizations and Member
States: demand compliance with the Revitalized Agreement and establish
a credible mechanism to restore the transition; immediately
operationalize the Hybrid Court for South Sudan; fully fund
humanitarian and civilian protection; and condition political support
on respect for human rights obligations.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
https://www.africa-newsroom.com/press/united-nations-un-inquiry-finds-south-sudans-political-and-military-leaders-are-driving-the-country-towards-a-fullscale-war-and-mass-atrocity-crimes?lang=en
END
______________________
John Ashworth
ashwor...@gmail.com
+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile, WhatsApp and Signal)
PO Box 403 - 00206, Kiserian, Kenya
leaders are driving the country towards a full-scale war and mass
atrocity crimes
The Commission calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities,
restoration and full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement, and
compliance with South Sudan’s obligations under international law
GENEVA, Switzerland, February 27, 2026/APO Group/ -- South Sudan’s
political and military leaders are systematically dismantling the 2018
Revitalized Peace agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South
Sudan, undermining governance and security safeguards and exposing
civilians to grave risks of renewed armed conflict, mass atrocity
crimes, and serious violations of international human rights law and
international humanitarian law, the UN Commission on Human Rights in
South Sudan warned today, presenting its latest investigative report
to the Human Rights Council.
The Commission calls for the immediate cessation of hostilities,
restoration and full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement, and
compliance with South Sudan’s obligations under international law.
“Last March, the President declared South Sudan would not return to
war. To the contrary, we have seen an alarming regression. Government
forces have since carried out widespread and systematic attacks
against civilians, including unlawful killings, indiscriminate,
disproportionate aerial bombardment of civilian homes and medical
facilities in violation of the principles of distinction,
proportionality and precaution under international humanitarian law.
The Commission also documented incidents of conflict-related sexual
violence and the abduction and forcible recruitment of boys; conduct
prohibited under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, its
Optional Protocol and customary law. Taken together, these acts may
constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity under international
law,” said Yasmin Sooka, Chair of the Commission.
The new report draws on independent investigations conducted in South
Sudan, focused on events and cases in 2025, while noting distressing
new developments. The Commissioners presented the report today at the
UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, which established the Commission
ten years ago, in March 2016.
“The Commission found that armed forces under ruling party command are
now most responsible for attacks against civilians, including patterns
of targeting linked to ethnicity and perceived political affiliation,”
added Sooka. “As attacks on Nuer civilians by government forces
continue escalating, particularly in Jonglei, we see that the ethnic
dimensions to renewed violence are inseparable from the politicized
detentions and prosecutions of opposition leaders, which are also
ethnically charged.”
In March 2025, the ruling SPLM-IG party detained opposition members
across the country, including eight opposition leaders, among them the
First Vice President, charging them with serious crimes in September
2025. These detentions and prosecutions raise serious concerns of
arbitrary detention in violation of Article 9 of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, denial of fair trial
guarantees under Article 14, and unlawful executive interference with
judicial independence. The ruling party says it plans to conduct the
first national election in December 2026.
“Credible electoral processes are unrealistic in a context where civic
space is repressed, conflict rages, more than three million people are
internally displaced, and key opposition leaders are arbitrarily
detained during a politicized trial,” added Sooka.
The report identifies airstrikes on levels unprecedented since
pre-independence wars. Conducted by South Sudan People’s Defence
Forces (SSPDF), with documented support by Ugandan forces, most
bombings hit areas the ruling party declared “hostile”. Civilian
homes, hospitals and opposition sites are targeted in attacks. Many of
the improvised bombs inflicted severe burns on mostly civilian
victims, often fatal.
“Reflecting profound abdication of core duties and obligations, the
systematic bombings and forced recruitments targeting civilians have
been conducted by the very armed forces which are responsible for
citizens’ protection,” said Commissioner Barney Afako. “These are
gross violations of the State’s international human rights law
obligations and implicate leaders in serious crimes.”
The Commission documented forced recruitment in Juba led by SSPDF, in
which boys and young men were abducted and transported north to fight.
The airstrikes and forced recruitments were widely known, and well
planned, with high-level authorization. Political-military leaders
responsible for related crimes enjoy impunity.
“Air and ground attacks on civilians by government forces, mostly
targeting civilians in opposition-affiliated areas – predominantly
Nuer communities – are part and parcel of the ruling party’s
systematic dismantling of the peace agreement. When leaders treat
negotiated peace commitments as expendable, they create conditions in
which violence flourishes. South Sudan is at a dangerous crossroads,”
added Afako.
Evidence gathered by the Commission indicates these violations are
authorized, condoned, or tolerated by senior political and military
officials. This engages individual criminal responsibility, including
under the doctrine of command responsibility.
The 2018 Revitalized Agreement offers a comprehensive framework for
peace, justice and development. The Commission has consistently
emphasized the Revitalized Agreement as central to fulfilling South
Sudan’s international human rights law obligations. Yet the new report
documents its systematic dismantling throughout 2025, following years
of deliberate obstructions.
“In our close examination of the detention and prosecution of
opposition leaders, we identified serious and extensive violations of
due process,” said Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández. “A
fundamental issue is their detention without charge or lawyers for
over five months. Another is the prejudicial statements by senior
officials, and unexplained dismissals of chief justices and indeed
justice ministers in the process – which indicates executive
interference and may in part explain why judges never addressed the
unlawful detentions. The unlawful deprivation of liberty warrants
their immediate release; this should be done promptly, in accordance
with applicable law.”
The report also reiterates findings in the Commission’s paper of
September 2025, detailing grand corruption diverting revenues to
elites, rendering government institutions unable to address basic
needs and fulfill human rights. Since its publication, corruption
mechanisms have further entrenched, with the corrupt and
politically-connected Crawford Capital Ltd. intensifying its
infiltration of government.
“Systemic impunity, economic predation, and deliberate subversion of
peace agreements: over the ten years, our Commission has repeatedly
identified these as central drivers of recurrent armed conflict and
ongoing human rights violations,” said Sooka. “South Sudan’s
neighbouring countries must urgently step up their engagement and
press the ruling party to restore the Revitalized Agreement, starting
with ending military offensives, recommitting to the cessation of
hostilities and releasing opposition leaders from unlawful detention.
Without urgent course correction, South Sudan risks state failure,
further undermining regional security, and trampling the rights and
dignity of South Sudanese.”
The Commission’s key recommendations in the report are:
- To the Government: immediately cease bombings, forced recruitments,
and all violations of international law; withdraw politicized charges
against SPLM/A-IO leaders; cease actions dismantling power-sharing
arrangements and undermining judicial independence; ensure any
electoral process complies with safeguards consistent with the
Revitalized Agreement and international law.
- To all armed forces and non-State armed groups: cease attacks on
civilians; guarantee humanitarian access; enforce accountability for
rights violations.
- To the African Union and United Nations organizations and Member
States: demand compliance with the Revitalized Agreement and establish
a credible mechanism to restore the transition; immediately
operationalize the Hybrid Court for South Sudan; fully fund
humanitarian and civilian protection; and condition political support
on respect for human rights obligations.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the
High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
https://www.africa-newsroom.com/press/united-nations-un-inquiry-finds-south-sudans-political-and-military-leaders-are-driving-the-country-towards-a-fullscale-war-and-mass-atrocity-crimes?lang=en
END
______________________
John Ashworth
ashwor...@gmail.com
+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile, WhatsApp and Signal)
PO Box 403 - 00206, Kiserian, Kenya
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