In a pressing appeal to the international community, Martha Pobee, the UN Assistant Secretary General for Africa, highlighted the escalating humanitarian crisis in South Sudan during her recent briefing to the UN Security Council. Pobee emphasized the urgent need for global cooperation to support South Sudanese leaders in reaffirming their commitment to the 2018 peace agreement.

The peace deal, which initially aimed to end years of civil strife, has faltered significantly with leaders failing to uphold the progress, resulting in a severe erosion of trust. Political tensions have peaked following the house arrest of former Vice President Riek Machar in March, complicating the peace process further. The friction between President Salva Kiir and Machar has not only stoked political instability but also incited military confrontations between their respective followers, worsening the humanitarian landscape.

The ongoing clashes between militias have led to substantial casualties, destruction of civilian infrastructure, and a significant displacement crisis. Additionally, disruptions in oil production—South Sudan's primary revenue source—due to the conflict have severely impacted the nation’s economy.

The situation has escalated into one of South Sudan’s most severe humanitarian crises since its independence, with a staggering 9.3 million individuals in need of humanitarian assistance and 7.7 million facing acute food insecurity. Reports of increasing sexual violence and targeted attacks against humanitarian workers further compound the dire circumstances, with funding shortages posing additional challenges to relief efforts.

Pobee’s report to the Security Council was a resolute call to action for South Sudanese authorities to prioritize the peace agreement’s implementation and focus on stabilizing the region to facilitate forthcoming elections scheduled for December 2026. She also implored the Security Council to engage more actively with all parties involved to avert the resurgence of violence.

The escalating conflict since February threatens to undermine the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, which had brought an end to the brutal second civil war. This resurgence of hostilities raises fears of a potential collapse of the peace deal, prompting warnings from various UN bodies about the critical need for international intervention to prevent a full-scale renewal of civil war.

As the international community watches closely, the immediate future of South Sudan hangs in the balance, with the effectiveness of global response efforts likely to play a critical role in shaping the country's path towards peace and stability.