Leading global advocacy groups have issued a statement appealing immediate attention from the global community to act fast in order to avert the occurrence of the looming genocide in South Sudan. The group of seven holocaust and genocide memorials across the world signed a letter in which they urged world leaders to do everything in their power to prevent what could become the 21st century's first major genocide. The world stands by as South Sudan teeters on the edge of catastrophe. We, museums and memorials of genocide around the world, are the custodians of humanity's darkest memories. Documenting our species at its worst is a grim but necessary task; by knowing our past, we can try to never repeat it, the group wrote in a letter circulated to mark the third anniversary of the occurrence of War in South Sudan. They stressed that remembering is not enough if the lessons go unlearned, stressing that when the echoes of history resound, those who can speak up, must. Today we are reminded of Elie Wiesel's words, "We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented." The letter cited warning signs as moments at which significant attention ought to be paid to stop the slaughter before it begins. “In South Sudan, the signs are already there. Ethnic groups are being set against one another: "Dinka vs. Nuer", and "Equatorians vs. Dinkas." The government and military of South Sudan is already dominated by the Dinka ethnicity, stoking tension and grievances among other ethnic groups. Polarizing propaganda is being used to stoke the fires of hatred on social media. Killings are happening ever more frequently along ethnic lines and no one is being held accountable, according to a recent report by the UN Panel of Experts on South Sudan”. The letter continued to add that “there is already "a steady process of ethnic cleansing underway" with armed fighters using "starvation, gang rapes and burning of villages" according to the head of the UN Human Rights Commission for South Sudan. There is marked rise in hate speech and graphic warnings of violence toward particular ethnic groups, according to the UN human rights chief in a recent statement. It quoted the UN Secretary General's Special Advisor on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, who described “genocide is a process” that if Left unchecked, these warning signs can turn into unspeakable acts of murder in the blink of an eye. Sadly, it was no different in Rwanda, Bosnia and in Europe during the 20th century. “One lesson is clear from the shelves of our exhibitions: genocide is never inevitable. In South Sudan, we can stop it right now. It will take moral, courageous leadership from political leaders in South Sudan who do not want their country’s future to be draped in death. We will need speedy and determined resolve from heads of state in East Africa to stand together to prevent mass atrocities from engulfing their neighbor. And we will need leaders in the broader international community to use every means of political leverage they have – stopping the flow of weapons, holding perpetrators of violence accountable – to avert yet genocide from happening on our watch”