South Sudan Party Suspends Role in Peace Process Amid Rising Tensions

The SPLM-IO party in South Sudan has suspended its participation in the peace process due to deteriorating relations between its leader, Riek Machar, and President Salva Kiir. Ongoing violence and political repression have led to the detention of key officials and significant displacement. Concerns are rising about the risk of renewed civil conflict amid ethnic tensions and misinformation.

A significant development in South Sudan’s political landscape occurred when a major party in the coalition government announced its suspension from aspects of a vital 2018 peace agreement. This decision stems from deteriorating relations between Riek Machar, the leader of the SPLM-IO party and First Vice President, and President Salva Kiir, marked by recent violence and arrests.

The peace agreement was established to resolve a five-year conflict between Kiir’s forces and Machar’s loyalists. However, escalating tensions have emerged following violent confrontations in eastern South Sudan. Notably, earlier this month, security forces detained multiple SPLM-IO officials, including the petroleum minister and the deputy military head, amid ethnic militia disputes in the region.

The government has charged the SPLM-IO with having ties to the White Army, a group of armed ethnic Nuer youths who previously battled alongside Machar’s faction. The SPLM-IO has outright rejected these allegations. Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, deputy chairman of SPLM-IO, stated the party’s withdrawal from security arrangements is contingent on the release of detained officials, emphasizing that ongoing political repression threatens the peace accord’s integrity.

Fighting near Nasir in Upper Nile state has displaced approximately 50,000 individuals since late February, with around 10,000 seeking refuge in Ethiopia, as reported by the UN’s Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Anita Kiki Gbeho. Furthermore, Nicholas Haysom, the United Nations peacekeeping chief, expressed concern regarding the potential for civil war resurgence, highlighting rampant hate speech as a major issue amid rising misinformation.

Analysts believe the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan is further undermining South Sudan’s peace efforts, with halted oil revenues exacerbating regional instability. Alan Boswell from the International Crisis Group highlighted that initial spillover violence from the Sudanese conflict is becoming evident in Upper Nile, raising alarm over the risk of these tensions expanding to the capital, Juba.

In summary, the SPLM-IO’s suspension from the peace process underscores the escalating tensions between Riek Machar and President Salva Kiir, propelled by recent violence and political repression. As the conflict in neighboring Sudan contributes to instability in South Sudan, fears of a potential relapse into civil war are amplified by displacement and inflammatory rhetoric. The situation remains precarious, necessitating urgent attention to restore peace and prevent humanitarian crises.

Original Source: www.usnews.com