South Sudan is once again hit by a serious political and military crisis, which began in mid-February in the north-eastern region of Upper Nile. Faced with the worsening situation and the fear of a possible outbreak of a new civil war that could also reach the capital Juba, Germany has decided to temporarily close its embassy in the country.
The announcement was made on Saturday, March 23, by the German Foreign Ministry, which openly accused President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar of fueling a spiral of violence in the country, after years of fragile peace following the 2018 agreement.
On March 9, the United States had decided to evacuate its non-essential personnel, while three days later the South Sudanese government had tried to reassure the international community by declaring that the situation in the country was calm and under control, playing down the clashes in the Upper Nile as “isolated incidents”. However, the situation on the ground seems much more worrying: aerial bombardments by the regular army on the committees of Nasir and Ulang have been reported daily by local authorities since March 16.
On March 27, the embassies of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States and the Delegation of the European Union issued a joint statement to express serious concern over the report that First Vice President Riek Machar has been placed under house arrest. The embassies call on President Kir to immediately revoke this measure, stressing that the appointment of Machar is guaranteed by Article 1.7.2 of the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS). The signatories also urge all parties involved, and in particular leaders with influence over the armed militias, to call for an immediate ceasefire and to engage without delay in a direct and sincere dialogue, in order to concretely demonstrate their will to pursue peace.
