The United States on Friday said South Sudan President Salva Kiir’s actions are pushing the country toward renewed civil war, sharply criticizing the government over alleged forced displacement, violence and obstruction of U.N. peacekeepers.
Speaking to the U.N. Security Council, U.S. Ambassador Jennifer Locetta said the crisis in South Sudan is not driven by a lack of peace agreements but by what she described as a lack of political will to implement them.
“The tragedy of South Sudan is not a lack of agreements, it is a lack of political will to implement them,” she said, citing remarks by the late U.N. official Nicholas Haysom, whom she described as a long-time advocate for stronger international peace efforts.
Locetta said recent developments, including violence and displacement in parts of the country, underscored what she called a widening gap between Security Council decisions and conditions faced by civilians on the ground.
She pointed to events in March, when she said government authorities ordered about 270,000 people to leave their homes within 72 hours, including in areas around Akobo. She alleged that the operation resulted in the destruction of civilian property and widespread suffering.
“Humanitarian workers described uniformed troops burning entire settlements to the ground,” Locetta said. “Families fled with nothing. Their water sources were contaminated. Women and girls were subjected to violence as a weapon of war.”
The United States strongly condemned the reported actions, saying they could not be justified as security operations.
“We unequivocally condemn President Kiir’s course of action and the transitional government’s March 6 evacuation orders,” she said, adding that such measures affected civilians, humanitarian agencies and U.N. personnel.
Locetta said Kiir’s policies were driving South Sudan toward renewed conflict.
“President Kiir’s actions are leading South Sudan towards renewed civil war by prioritizing unilateral control over peace, protection of civilians and national stability,” she said.
She also accused South Sudanese authorities of obstructing the mandate of the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), describing what she called a sustained pattern of restrictions and interference with peacekeeping operations.
“This is not an isolated phenomenon. It is part of a broader, deeply troubling pattern of obstruction and exploitation of international assistance,” she said.
Locetta said such restrictions included limits on movement, blocked repatriation flights and the forced closure of at least three UNMISS bases.
She said the mission recorded more than 80 violations of its status-of-forces agreement between January and March, and more than 400 incidents in the final quarter of last year.
“These systematic obstructions cost millions of dollars and undermine the ability of peacekeepers to operate effectively,” she said.
The United States said it would not support a mandate that maintains the status quo while civilians remain under threat and peacekeepers face restrictions.
Locetta called for a narrower UNMISS mandate focused on civilian protection, humanitarian access, human rights reporting, accountability for obstruction and improved transparency.
She also criticized the mission’s operational posture, citing a June 2025 report by the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services that found most patrols remained close to UN bases.
“Eighty percent of UNMISS patrols remained within five kilometers of bases,” she said. “That’s not peacekeeping. That’s bench-warming on our dime.”
Locetta urged the Security Council to press both South Sudanese authorities and the mission itself for greater accountability, warning that civilians could not wait for prolonged diplomatic processes.
“The people of South Sudan do not need another year of process,” she said. “They need protection and leaders who will actually work for them.”
The statement comes as the U.N. Security Council prepares to decide on the renewal of the UNMISS mandate.
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