Arabic version: تحذير أممي من مخاطر وقوع فظائع في جنوب السودان

According to Allafrica, a UN-backed human rights commission has warned that South Sudan faces a real possibility of further atrocity crimes unless renewed fighting stops, as the country approaches its first national elections since independence.

The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said multiple risk factors for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and ethnic cleansing were converging. It said the opportunity to prevent a return to the scale of atrocities and displacement seen between 2013 and 2018 was narrowing, though not yet closed.

Armed conflict has resumed in parts of Upper Nile, Jonglei and Unity states, while clashes and civilian deaths have also been recorded in Western and Central Equatoria states. The commission recorded 407 ceasefire violations between August 2025 and January 2026.

The panel said rushing to elections without essential safeguards could deepen existing conflicts. Nearly half of the key provisions in the 2018 revitalized peace agreement remain unimplemented, including the unification of security forces, it said.

Commissioners cited weakened institutions, entrenched impunity, exclusionary governance, corruption, shrinking civic space and inflammatory rhetoric. They said mechanisms including ceasefire monitoring, independent justice institutions and inclusive political dialogue had been weakened or suspended, warning that elections cannot be credible unless citizens can vote without fear and political opponents can participate freely.