South Sudan has witnessed a dramatic surge in violence, with civilian deaths reaching their highest level in nearly five years, the United Nations revealed on Wednesday.
According to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), 739 civilians were killed between January and March this year, with 679 wounded, 149 abducted, and 40 subjected to conflict-related sexual violence. The report noted that this represents a 110 percent increase in fatalities compared to the previous quarter.
UNMISS said the overall toll marked the highest number of civilian casualties recorded in a single quarter since 2020.
Much of the violence has been concentrated in Warrap State, where President Salva Kiir imposed a state of emergency in June. Many of the killings were attributed to local militias and community-based defence groups, although the report also pointed to “conventional parties and other armed groups” as being responsible for 15 percent of the victims — a 27 percent rise from the last quarter.
The recent escalation follows the detention of Vice-President Riek Machar in Juba in March, which exacerbated the already fragile political situation. Aid organisations have also reported targeted attacks on civilians and medical facilities amid the growing unrest.
The rivalry between Kiir and Machar, which fuelled a brutal five-year civil war that ended with a tenuous peace deal in 2018, appears to be reigniting, with tensions again flaring across the country.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned in May that the renewed hostilities threatened to unravel the peace agreement, urging all sides to “urgently pull back from the brink” to prevent a further collapse of order.
The surge in violence has further compounded South Sudan’s already dire humanitarian crisis and deepening human rights violations, adding to the suffering of its population.
