South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Jenifer James
The Executive Secretary for the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Dr Workneh Gebeyehu, has reiterated the readiness of the regional bloc to support mediation efforts to de-escalate on-going tension in South Sudan.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Gebeyehu called upon regional and international partners to reinforce the imperative of preserving peace in South Sudan.
“The current trajectory, if unchecked, could lead to a collapse of the transitional process and a relapse into full-scale war, with devastating consequences for the people of South Sudan and the region at large, large,” said Gebeyehu.
He stated that arrest on Wednesday night of the First Vice President Riek Machar, undermines the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) and risks plunging the country back into violent conflict.
Gebeyehu said the 43rd Extraordinary Meeting of the IGAD Assembly Heads of State and Government on March 12, 2025, called on all parties to refrain from unilateral actions that violate the spirit and letter of the R-ARCSS, which remains the only viable framework for sustainable peace in South Sudan.
He also urged all signatories to the revitalized peace agreement to exercise maximum restraint, prioritise dialogue, and resolve differences through inclusive and peaceful means.
Meanwhile, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign & Diaspora Affairs, Dr. Musalia Mudavadi, in a statement on Thursday called on all parties in South Sudan to exercise utmost restraint to prevent plunging the country into another war.
‘’We urge all the leaders in South Sudan to exercise utmost restraint, cease hostilities, and uphold the Revitalised Peace Agreement in the best interests of millions of their people,’’ said Mudavadi.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has faced instability since independence in 2011, enduring multiple civil wars that have displaced millions and devastated the economy.
Tensions erupted between the SPLA-IO and the SSPDF following an attack on March 4, by the White Army on the SSPDF garrison in Nasir.
The government accuses the SPLA-IO of having links to the White Army which overran the garrison, but the SPLM/A-IO denies.
On March 7, the White Army killed 27 SSPDF soldiers and a general who were being evacuated by the United Nations in Nasir. This incident led to the arrests of several high-ranking SPLM/A-IO officials in Juba.
Clashes between the SPLA-IO and SSPDF erupted since Monday till Wednesday on the outskirts of Juba, creating fears of another relapse into a full blown conflict.
