“Incendiary rhetoric calling for violence against civilians, including the most vulnerable, is absolutely abhorrent and must stop now.”Graham Maitland, officer in charge, said Sunday.
Ongoing Hostilities
South Sudan – the world’s youngest country – gained independence in July 2011, but soon descended into civil war with clashes between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir or the main opposition leader, First Vice President Riek Machar.
Despite the 2018 peace agreement and the establishment of a transitional unity government, clashes and tensions persist.
UNMISS said communities in Jonglei and elsewhere are suffering immense damage from the escalating conflict, including direct military clashes between forces.
Put people first
Although South Sudan’s leaders continue to stress their commitment to peace, hostilities and ceasefire violations continue unabated.
The Mission urged the leaders to put the interests of the people first, ending the fighting and fulfilling their commitments under the peace agreement.
“This includes return to consensus-based decision making and adhere to power-sharing agreementsand agree on a path to peacefully end the transition period through inclusive dialogue,” Mr Maitland said.
‘Risk of mass violence’
The UN Human Rights Commission in South Sudan expressed grave alarm over the situation in Jonglei, stating that inflammatory rhetoric from senior military commanders and reports of force mobilization “significantly increase the risk of mass violence against civilians and further erode the peace agreement.”
Members noted that under international law, military and civilian leaders who incite crimes or exercise effective control over forces can be held criminally responsible.
Furthermore, those who do not prevent or punish crimes that they knew (or should have known were being committed) are equally criminally responsible.
dangerous words
“Language that calls for the murder of those who areout of combat(no longer participating in hostilities) and civilians, including the elderly – with statements that “no one should be forgiven” – is Not only shocking, it’s deeply dangerous,” sayingYasmin SookaPresident of the Commission.
“In South Sudan’s past, such rhetoric has preceded mass atrocities. When such language is uttered or tolerated by those in positions of command, it signals permission to commit violence and removes any expectation of restraint.”
The current escalation is not an isolated incident, but part of a broader political collapse, the Commission said. This is being driven by sustained violations of the peace agreement and the erosion of command discipline in an already volatile and ethnically fractured environment.
De-escalation resource
“When senior figures utter reckless or violent rhetoric, or fail to counter it decisively, they lower the threshold for abuse and send a signal that restraint no longer applies,” said Commissioner Barney Afako.
“The mobilization of forces in this context, coupled with ethnic messaging, risks triggering a spiral of retaliatory violence that could rapidly escalate out of control.”
The Commission called on all parties to immediately cease inflammatory rhetoric and force mobilization to reduce tensions.
Furthermore, as Commander-in-Chief, President Kiir has the utmost duty to exercise effective control over the forces. Other senior officials, such as the Chief of the Defense Forces and the Minister of Defence, also share this task.
Avoid a catastrophe
The Commission also called on South Sudan’s regional and international partners to urgently re-engage to preserve the peace agreement and pressure leaders to return to the political path.
Failure to do so risks all-out ethnic conflict and another avoidable tragedy, they said.
“This crisis is not inevitable,” Ms Sooka insisted. “Leadership, restraint and accountability can still prevent catastrophe. But deliberate incitement and abuse of command authority will have consequences, and the window to act is rapidly closing.”
About the Commission
The Human Rights Commission in South Sudan was first established by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2016 and its mandate is renewed annually.
The three commissioners who serve are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work.