The interim chairman of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), on Tuesday, while addressing the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) virtually, said the political and security situation in South Sudan is worsening and endangering the implementation of the 2018 peace agreement.
Ambassador Major General (Rtd) George Aggrey Owinow informed the Council that since RJMEC’s last briefing on 18 August 2025, “the political and security situation in the Republic of South Sudan has continued to deteriorate, placing the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) in serious jeopardy.”
He said that since March 2025, the permanent ceasefire has been severely violated, adding that clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In-Opposition (SPLA-IO) show no signs of abating.
“Despite the continuous appeal for de-escalation, ceasefire, political dialogue and adherence to the provisions of the R-ARCSS, repeated actions to the contrary have seriously undermined confidence in the peace process and risk returning the country back to war,” he said. “With time fast running out, any further deterioration of the security situation, coupled with failure by the Revitalized Transitional Government of National Unity (RTGoNU) to urgently address the political stalemate and commence genuine and inclusive dialogue on a viable way forward, including on the conduct of elections and a peaceful end to the Transitional Period, poses a great risk to the Peace Agreement.”
On the political front, Amb. Owinow said the responsibility-sharing arrangements of the peace agreement continue to erode through unilateral removals and replacements of opposition representatives from different portfolios of the RTGoNU executive and legislature at national and state levels.
In addition, he said, Dr Riek Machar Teny, First Vice President and Chairperson of the SPLM/A-IO, remains in confinement and on trial together with other SPLM/A-IO officials.
“Meanwhile, some decisions are being made within the RTGoNU without the consensus of all Agreement signatories as required by the R-ARCSS,” he stated.
Amb. Owinow called on the Council to prevail on the parties to the agreement to cease all hostilities, embrace all-inclusive genuine dialogue, restore and respect the Permanent Ceasefire, and embark on the full reunification and professionalization of security forces under a single non-partisan command.
He further called on the UNSC to assist the RTGoNU to resolve the current political and security impasse and find a political solution to the issue of the First Vice President and all political detainees to pave the way to meaningful dialogue to a peaceful end to the Transitional Period.