President Salva Kiir Mayardit (L) shaking hands with his long-time political rival, Riek Machar Teny (R) at Juba International Airport (JIA). |File Photo|.
Tuesday, 19 August 2025
The Chairperson of the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, Maj. Gen. George Aggrey Owinow has warned the United Nations Security Council that South Sudan may revert to conflict as the revitalised peace agreement faces a potential risk of collapse.
Addressing the 9980th meeting of the UN Security Council, Aggrey informed the members of the council that his peace monitoring mechanism has recorded a substantial deterioration of the political and security situation in the world’s youngest nation.
He noted repeated violations of the permanent ceasefire and numerous unilateral dismissals and appointments of officials at the national and State levels in breach of the letter and spirit of the responsibility-sharing arrangements under the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS),
Aggrey said the situation “has rendered the implementation of the revitalised peace agreement virtually untenable.”
He continued: “The current situation and trajectory in the country, if not urgently addressed, risks to reverse all that has been gained and may lead to a collapse of the R-ARCSS, which could return the country back to an armed conflict.”
However, Aggrey told the meeting that “the revitalised peace agreement, in spite of all its challenges, has restored relative peace across the country, with numerous peace dividends, since its signing in September 2018 and remains a blueprint for the building of a lasting peace and stability in the country.
He added, “It will be tragic if the gains of the revitalised peace agreement to date are lost beyond restoration.”
In his recommendations, Aggrey asked the Council to endorse the call by the IGAD Summit and the AUPSC to the South Sudanese Government to de-escalate tensions, address the issue of the First Vice President and all the other detainees, embrace dialogue, and return to full and inclusive implementation of the R-ARCSS and adhere to its letter and spirit.
“RJMEC, therefore, appeals to this esteemed Council to bring its leverage to bear in order to salvage the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement and to remain seized of the situation in South Sudan.”
South Sudan’s President, Salva Kiir Mayardit, ordered the arrest and detention of his First Vice President, Riek Machar Teny, a significant partner to the coalition government of national unity formed in September 2018, which briefly brought to an end the circle of armed conflict in parts of the country.
