EU delegation urges for immediate action on S. Sudan peace

(MENAFN) A group of foreign diplomats, including representatives from the European Union and several key embassies, have called for “urgent action” to advance peace in South Sudan, according to reports citing the German Embassy.

On Tuesday, the envoys expressed “grave concern” about the country’s ongoing instability and urged President Salva Kiir and suspended First Vice President Riek Machar to pursue solutions through inclusive dialogue. The diplomatic mission shared the appeal on the social media platform X on Wednesday.

Ambassadors and envoys from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, Sudan, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States, together with the EU delegation, endorsed the call for immediate steps toward stability.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, gained independence from Sudan in 2011 following a referendum. However, it has been plagued by violence since December 2013, when President Kiir dismissed and accused then-Vice President Machar of plotting a coup.

Despite peace agreements reached in 2018 and 2022, conflict has persisted. In February, the White Army, a militia largely composed of Machar’s Nuer ethnic group, took control of a town in Upper Nile State. In retaliation, several generals and government ministers aligned with Machar’s Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition were detained.

Machar and other detained leaders now face serious allegations, including murder, treason, and crimes against humanity, as well as accusations of conspiracy, funding terrorist activity, destroying public and military property, and inciting violence in Nasir County.

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