Germany has taken the decision to temporarily close its embassy in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, amidst escalating tensions that are pushing the country closer to the brink of civil war. This move was announced by the German foreign ministry on Saturday.
The unrest in South Sudan stems from President Salva Kiir’s recent dismissal of the governor of Upper Nile state, where clashes have intensified between government forces and an ethnic militia believed to be supporting his rival, First Vice President Riek Machar, as reported by Reuters.
The growing standoff has raised concerns that South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, could plunge back into conflict just seven years after emerging from a devastating civil war that claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. The previous five-year civil war, which ended in 2018, resulted in over 400,000 fatalities.
The German foreign ministry expressed alarm at the situation, stating, “After years of fragile peace, South Sudan is once again on the brink of civil war. President Kiir and Vice President Machar are plunging the country into a spiral of violence. It’s their responsibility to end this senseless violence and finally implement the peace agreement.“
South Sudan’s United Nations peacekeeping chief, Nicholas Haysom, has also voiced apprehension that the country is teetering on the edge of a return to civil war. The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has issued a warning, stating, “We are witnessing an alarming regression that could erase years of hard-won progress.”
In its 2024 report, the commission highlighted that half of the country was already grappling with food insecurity, with two million individuals internally displaced and another two million seeking refuge in neighboring nations.
The situation in South Sudan remains precarious, with the international community closely monitoring developments in the hopes of preventing a full-blown civil conflict. The closure of the German embassy underscores the gravity of the situation and the urgent need for all parties involved to prioritize peace and stability in the region.
