UN Security Council Alarm Over Peace Deal
At a tense Security Council briefing, Acting United States envoy to the UN, Ambassador Dorothy Shea, faulted South Sudan’s transitional leaders for what she termed a de facto abandonment of the 2018 Revitalised Agreement, stirring vigorous debate among council members and observers.
Conflict Toll in Latest UN Report
Her intervention drew on the Secretary-General’s latest report detailing aerial and ground clashes between April and July that displaced more than 300,000 people and claimed hundreds of civilian lives, with investigators documenting sexual violence and child recruitment in several hotspots.
Refugee Spillover and Humanitarian Access
Shea noted that 132,000 South Sudanese sought refuge in neighbouring states during the period, adding pressure on already strained services in Sudan, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, while inside the country more than seventy percent of citizens now depend on aid obstructed by insecurity and bureaucratic levies.
Urgent Plea for Inclusive Dialogue
The envoy urged Juba to lift restrictions on opposition figures, re-open civic space and allow UNMISS to operate unhindered, arguing that inclusive political dialogue remains the only path to credible elections scheduled for late 2024.
Global Options on Table for Stability
Security Council diplomats signalled readiness to review sanctions and arms-embargo measures, yet several, including Ghana and Gabon, cautioned that pressure must be balanced with incentives to sustain momentum, while civil-society speakers pleaded for consistent funding to protect civilians as the dry-season fighting window approaches.