UNITED NATIONS: UN aid chief Tom Fletcher on Friday warned that South Sudan was at risk of slipping into “full-scale famine and collapse,” as fighting intensifies and the UN peacekeeping mission is cut back.
“Visiting South Sudan a few weeks ago, I was told again and again of a feeling of despair and abandonment, and with good reason,” Fletcher told the UN Security Council.
“The world’s youngest nation stands at a dangerous crossroads. Conflict up. Displacement up. Hunger up. Disease up. Attacks on aid workers up. Funding down,” he said.
He called on the council to act quickly to “prevent South Sudan from sliding toward full-scale famine and collapse.”
South Sudan gained independence in 2011 but soon descended into civil war and remains mired in extreme poverty and corruption.
A 2018 power-sharing deal between President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival Riek Machar has been unravelling since early 2025, with clashes in multiple areas and fears of a return to full-blown war.
In recent weeks, the fighting has ramped up even more, and civilians “continue to bear the brunt,” said the new head of the UN mission (UNMISS), Anita Kiki Gbeho.
But at the same time, UNMISS has been forced to reduce its “operational capacity” by 25 to 30 percent, due to a wider budget crisis that is hitting the world body, largely because of US delays in paying its mandatory contributions.
With the Security Council expected to weigh in on the renewal of the mission’s mandate by the end of the month, “it is important to recognize the dilemma we collectively face,” Gbeho said.
“The scale and urgency of needs on the ground are not yet matched by the type of sustained commitment and investment required to meet the ambition of a sustainable path to peace.”
Jennifer Locetta, part of the US mission to the UN, warned that the United States wanted to see “narrowed mandate priorities that are realistic and achievable.”
She criticized Kiir, saying his actions were “leading South Sudan towards renewed civil war.”
