South Sudan Faces Renewed Threat of Civil War, UN Warns

South Sudan is edging towards another civil war as clashes between rival factions escalate, the United Nations has warned.  

Nicholas Haysom, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), described the situation as “dire,” citing rising tensions between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar. He stressed that peace talks could only succeed if both leaders prioritised national stability over personal rivalries.  

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Disinformation and hate speech, he said, were fuelling ethnic divisions, driving violence that has already displaced tens of thousands.  

South Sudan has struggled with conflict since its independence in 2011. A 2018 peace deal ended a brutal civil war that claimed over 40,000 lives, yet recent tensions threaten to unravel the fragile unity government, raising fears of renewed bloodshed.