New York, August 18, 2025 — The United States has accused South Sudan’s leaders of abandoning the 2018 peace agreement, warning that continued violence and political repression risk dragging the country back into full-scale civil war.

Speaking at the United Nations Security Council on Monday, Ambassador Dorothy Shea, the Acting U.S. Representative to the UN, said South Sudan’s transitional government had “yet to deliver the peace and stability the people of South Sudan deserve” despite years of international support for recovery and stabilization.

“It is deeply disappointing that South Sudan’s leaders have failed to demonstrate the political will to meet their commitments,” Shea said, pointing to stalled security reforms, lack of transparency in public revenue, shrinking civic space, and persistent reliance on violence as a political tool.

Shea said recent government actions — including the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar, detention of other opposition figures, and ongoing SSPDF military strikes — amounted to a “de facto abandonment” of the peace deal that underpins the transitional government.

The U.S. envoy highlighted escalating violence in Upper Nile and Jonglei States, where aerial bombardments and ground clashes between April and mid-July displaced more than 300,000 people and left hundreds of civilians dead. The UN Secretary-General’s recent report also documented widespread sexual violence, child recruitment, and destruction of vital infrastructure. More than 132,000 South Sudanese fled to neighboring countries during that period, straining fragile regional stability.

“Generations of South Sudanese citizens remain trapped in a cycle of conflict, acute need, and disenfranchisement,” Shea said, stressing that over 70 percent of the population now depends on humanitarian assistance. She warned that aid efforts were being hampered by ongoing conflict, attacks on humanitarian workers, and systemic corruption.

The U.S. called on South Sudan’s leaders to “immediately cease hostilities, release all unjustly detained political prisoners, and recommit to dialogue,” while urging the transitional government to fully cooperate with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS).

“These unilateral actions violate the peace agreement, undermine unity, and deprive the South Sudanese people of peace and prosperity,” Shea warned.

The remarks signal Washington’s growing frustration with Juba’s leadership as fears mount of a collapse in the fragile peace process and a return to large-scale war.