Growing tension in South Sudan as cracks emerge in ruling coalition

There is international concern over the growing tension in South Sudan as cracks emerge in the country’s ruling coalition.

Recent clashes in the northeastern Upper Nile State between forces allied to the president and first vice president are threatening a fragile power-sharing agreement.

The unity government, led by President Salva Kiir, with former rebel leader, Riek Machar as First Vice President, was formed in 2018.

This followed a peace deal that ended the country’s five-year civil war that cost nearly 400,000 lives.

An armed group clashed with the country’s army on Tuesday, leading to the arrests of two government ministers and a deputy army chief allied to Machar.

As fears grow of a renewed full-blown civil war, the United States on Sunday ordered all its non-emergency staff to leave South Sudan.

The travel advisory issued said that fighting was ongoing and that “weapons are readily available to the population”.

On Friday a United Nations helicopter came under attack during a rescue mission, which killed a crew member.

The UN Commission on Human Rights in the country on Saturday said it was witnessing an alarming regression that could erase years of hard-won progress.

“Rather than fuelling division and conflict, leaders must urgently refocus on the peace process, uphold the human rights of South Sudanese citizens, and ensure a smooth transition to democracy,” said the chairperson, Yasmin Sooka.