South Sudan situation deteriorating at alarming pace, UN rights body says

9/3/2025 6:18

Increased violence and political friction in South Sudan threaten its fragile peace process, a United Nations rights body said on Saturday, days after the arrests of several officials allied to the country's vice president.



Earlier this month, security forces loyal to President Salva Kiir arrested two ministers and several senior military officials allied with Riek Machar.



The arrests have raised fears for the future of a 2018 peace deal which ended a five-year civil war between forces loyal to Kiir and Machar that cost nearly 400,000 lives.



"We are witnessing an alarming regression that could erase years of hard-won progress. Rather than fuelling division and conflict, leaders must urgently refocus on the peace process, uphold the human rights of South Sudanese citizens, and ensure a smooth transition to democracy," Yasmin Sooka, chairperson of the U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, said in a statement.