Report highlights significant security deterioration in South Sudan

The peace monitoring commission, the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC), in South Sudan has raised alarms about a major decline in security across the country.

The country's peace monitoring commission has sounded the alarm, following a rise in violence and political instability between July and September this year.

According to the quarterly report released just yesterday, clashes have erupted among groups who signed the 2018 peace deal, affecting half of the nation's 10 regional states. The situation is so dire in some areas that peace monitors say they've been unable to investigate reported ceasefire violations safely.

The unrest is compounded by the ongoing trial in Juba of Vice President Riek Machar and his supporters, deepening already tense political divisions. The report also highlights a setback for the peace process, with several of Machar's top military allies fleeing the country out of fear of arrest.

Government activity has ground to a halt, with the cabinet reportedly not meeting since March, after Machar's detention.

Meanwhile, President Salva Kiir's administration is facing criticism for appointing more than 20 new judges without the opposition's input.

Observers stress that while a special tribunal is now trying Machar and several party members, the 2018 peace agreement actually requires the creation of a hybrid court under African Union supervision to address war crimes committed by all signatories.