UN Warns South Sudan on Brink of Return to Full-Scale War Amid Rising Atrocities

The United Nations has issued a stark warning that South Sudan risks sliding back into full-scale civil war as violence escalates and human rights abuses intensify across the country.

In a new report presented at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the UN’s Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan highlighted “escalating atrocity risks,” citing widespread killings, systematic sexual violence, arbitrary detentions, and mass displacement of civilians.

The report warns that without urgent intervention, the country’s fragile peace framework could collapse entirely. It called for coordinated action from regional and international actors, including diplomatic pressure, sanctions, and stricter enforcement of the UN arms embargo.

According to investigators, civilians are bearing the brunt of renewed conflict, with abuses carried out amid a deepening humanitarian crisis in one of the world’s poorest nations.

Peace Deal Under Strain

The UN report links the rising instability to actions by political and military elites, including the erosion of power-sharing arrangements under the 2018 peace agreement.

Tensions intensified following the arrest and removal of First Vice President Riek Machar, whose prosecution on charges including treason and crimes against humanity has further destabilised the political landscape.

The development has strained relations with President Salva Kiir, reviving divisions that originally triggered the civil war in 2013.

Escalating Violence and Foreign Involvement

The report notes a “dangerous shift in tactics,” including aerial bombardments in civilian-populated areas. It also raised concerns about the involvement of neighbouring Uganda, whose military support for government forces may violate the UN arms embargo.

Investigators said joint military operations have disproportionately affected ethnic Nuer communities in opposition-controlled regions.

Sexual Violence and Impunity

Conflict-related sexual violence remains widespread and systematic, according to the report, with women and girls facing constant risk. The UN described such acts as being used strategically to terrorise communities, drive displacement, and deepen social divisions.

Despite the scale of abuses, accountability remains limited, with senior political and military figures rarely prosecuted.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

The renewed violence has triggered a massive humanitarian emergency. The UN estimates that over 280,000 people have been displaced since late 2025, while millions remain in urgent need of aid.

Children are among the hardest hit, with hundreds of thousands at risk of acute malnutrition due to disrupted healthcare services and displacement.

Calls for Urgent Action

The UN urged South Sudan’s government to immediately halt violations, release arbitrarily detained individuals, and guarantee fundamental freedoms, including expression and assembly.

It also called for the long-delayed establishment of transitional justice mechanisms to investigate war crimes committed since 2013.

With nearly 10 million people requiring life-saving assistance, the report warns that failure to act could lead to further mass atrocities, institutional collapse, and a return to widespread conflict in Africa’s youngest nation.