The African Union Commission (AUC) said it is sending a high-level mediation team to South Sudan amid escalating tensions between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, raising fears of a collapse of the country’s fragile peace deal.
AU Commission Chairperson Mahmoud Ali Youssouf announced the deployment of the AU’s Panel of the Wise to Juba following direct talks with President Kiir. The move comes as renewed violence in Nasir and broader political instability after the house arrest of Machar threaten to unravel the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
In a statement from Addis Ababa on Monday, Mr Youssouf expressed “solidarity with the Government and people of South Sudan,” reaffirming the African Union’s “unwavering commitment to dialogue, reconciliation, and lasting peace.”
The Panel of the Wise—a conflict prevention body made up of senior African elders and statespeople—will engage with key stakeholders to “de-escalate tensions and promote dialogue,” the statement said.
Mr Youssouf warned that the current crisis risks undermining years of regional peace efforts, urging all parties to comply with the R-ARCSS.
“The AU calls on all parties to uphold all the provisions of R-ARCSS and ensure its full implementation,” the communiqué emphasised.
The AU’s intervention follows a surge in violence, including a recent attack in Nasir by the White Army—allegedly linked to Mr Machar—which overran an army base.
Regional and international bodies, including the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the East African Community (EAC), and the United Nations, have also called for urgent de-escalation.
The AU said it “remains actively engaged with regional and international partners to support South Sudan’s transition to durable peace and democracy.”
This marks one of the first major conflict interventions under Mr Youssouf’s leadership, highlighting South Sudan’s crisis as a key priority for the AU.
The move may also signal the AU’s bid to reassert its role in African peace diplomacy, after recent third-party mediation efforts in other conflicts on the continent.
