The 2018 peace agreement in South Sudan is facing an “irretrievable breakdown,” a key oversight body warned Friday, urging the release of the detained first vice president and a return to dialogue to avert a renewed nationwide conflict.
In a virtual briefing to the African Union Peace and Security Council, Maj. Gen. George Aggrey Owinow (rtd), interim chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), said the country’s political and security situation has “continued to deteriorate significantly.”
The 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, known as R-ARCSS, has been “severely undermined,” Owinow said.
The warning follows a March 7, 2025, incident in the town of Nasir and the subsequent arrest, detention, and prosecution of First Vice President Riek Machar, leader of the opposition SPLM/A-IO, along with other senior opposition officials before a special court in Juba.
“These developments pose a serious threat of an irretrievable breakdown of the permanent ceasefire,” Owinow said, according to briefing documents seen by Radio Tamazuj. He called for addressing Machar’s detention, embracing dialogue, and returning to full implementation of the peace agreement “in letter and spirit.”
The report documents escalating clashes between the government army, known as the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, and Machar’s SPLA-IO forces in at least six of the country’s 10 states, in violation of the permanent ceasefire. It also cites the government’s unilateral removal of opposition figures from ministerial and legislative positions, further eroding the power-sharing arrangement central to the peace deal.
The political deadlock comes as the government seeks to amend the agreement to delay a national census and the constitution-making process, effectively pushing key milestones beyond the planned December 2026 elections. The proposal is currently under review by the monitoring body.
The humanitarian and economic situation continues to worsen, driven by renewed fighting, climate shocks, a weakening currency, and the arrival of people fleeing the war in neighboring Sudan, the briefing said.
Owinow urged the African Union to take urgent action, including pressing the parties to halt hostilities, reactivate peace mechanisms, and help resolve the political crisis by securing Machar’s release to enable dialogue. He also called on the parties to “agree on practical steps to realize free, fair and credible elections.”
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but descended into civil war in 2013, largely fueled by a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and Machar. The 2018 peace deal formed a fragile unity government, but implementation has repeatedly stalled amid political disputes and sporadic violence.