South Sudan’s information minister has urged opposition forces to immediately halt hostilities and fully respect the fragile 2018 peace agreement.
Speaking in Juba on Tuesday, Ateny Wek Ateny warned that renewed violence threatens peace and imperils the country’s delicate transitional process.
He described the Revitalised Agreement as the nation’s cornerstone, saying its faithful implementation remains essential for stability and lasting reconciliation.
Ateny defended ongoing security operations in northern Jonglei, calling them lawful steps to stop rebel advances and protect vulnerable communities.
He said the army’s mission was not to harm civilians, but to shield them from armed groups stirring fear.
The government, he added, is constitutionally bound to defend territorial integrity and protect lives and property across the country.
Residents who fled Akobo, Nyirol and Uror counties to UN shelters were told conditions were secure, though caution remains vital.
Ateny also pledged full cooperation with UN partners, promising unhindered peacekeeping and humanitarian access in conflict-scarred Jonglei.
His appeal followed UN warnings that more than 180,000 people have fled violence, sparked by alleged calls for indiscriminate attacks on civilians.
UNMISS said such rhetoric was abhorrent, while Ateny dismissed the reported remarks as unauthorised and not reflecting government policy.
South Sudan has struggled since independence in 2011, slipping into civil war two years later after a political rift at the highest level.
Although a unity government emerged from the 2018 deal, clashes have persisted, deepening mistrust within the uneasy coalition.
Fighting between government troops and the opposition’s armed wing has intensified since December, spreading like wildfire across northern regions.
Tensions sharpened in early 2025, exposing fractures inside the transitional government and igniting clashes from Western Equatoria to Jonglei.
First Vice President Riek Machar has been under house arrest since March, a development casting a long shadow over the peace process.
As South Sudan balances on a narrow bridge between war and reconciliation, officials urge restraint to prevent the nation from slipping back into darkness.
