NEW YORK/JUBA — The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned today that the country is on the brink of renewed civil war as armed clashes escalate and political tensions threaten to unravel the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, Oct. 30, 2025.

Commissioner Barney Afako told the U.N. General Assembly that the peace process “is being dismantled in plain sight,” citing government airstrikes on civilian areas, arbitrary detentions of opposition figures, and violations of the ceasefire. “South Sudan’s political transition is falling apart,” Afako said during a briefing to the Third Committee. “All indicators point to a slide back toward another deadly war.”

The Commission reported that fighting has surged to levels not seen since 2017, displacing more than 370,000 people since March. An estimated 2.5 million South Sudanese have fled to neighboring countries, while another 2 million remain internally displaced.

“The suffering of South Sudan’s people is not collateral damage — it is the direct consequence of political failure,” said Yasmin Sooka, the Commission’s chair. She condemned widespread attacks on civilians, sexual violence, and child recruitment by armed groups, calling the renewed conflict “man-made and preventable.”

Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández said corruption continues to fuel the crisis, noting that billions in oil revenues have been diverted from public services. “Corruption is not a side effect of the conflict — it is one of its engines,” he said.

The Commission urged the United Nations, the African Union, and regional partners to take coordinated action to prevent further collapse, including by establishing the long-delayed Hybrid Court for South Sudan and enforcing accountability for human rights violations.

“Peace will not come through words or handshakes,” Sooka said. “It will come through concrete actions — ending impunity, protecting civilians, and building institutions that serve people, not power.”