Foreign envoys condemn South Sudan rebel order to seize aid vehicles

JUBA — Foreign envoys on Tuesday condemned an order by a commander of South Sudan’s main armed opposition to seize vehicles from humanitarian agencies, as aid workers reported escalating threats to their safety, particularly in Jonglei State, amid renewed fighting and insecurity.

In a joint statement, the embassies of Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States said the directive—attributed to Major General John Luk Bayak of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO)—amounts to a dangerous violation of international law and must be reversed immediately.

“The Embassies of Canada, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States condemn a reported order issued by SPLM/A-IO Major General John Luk Bayak in northern Jonglei State for humanitarian organizations to surrender their vehicles,” the statement said.

“This order is a flagrant violation of international humanitarian principles and places assistance workers in harm’s way. We call for an immediate reversal of this order and the return of any assets seized.”

“No party or individual in South Sudan has the right to confiscate assets provided by our governments to assistance implementing partners in support of our effort to provide life-saving assistance to South Sudanese in need,” it added.

Aid workers operating in northern Jonglei told humanitarian coordination bodies that the order has intensified intimidation and harassment, with staff facing threats, movement restrictions and heightened insecurity.

Several agencies said access has become increasingly unpredictable, forcing delays and, in some areas, temporary suspensions of operations.

Jonglei has seen recurrent insecurity in recent months, fueled by clashes between government forces and the opposition SPLA-IO, alongside intercommunal violence, cattle raids and broader armed mobilization.

Fighting between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the SPLA-IO in parts of the state has further destabilized the area, while seasonal flooding has displaced tens of thousands of people.

Aid groups say these overlapping pressures have severely strained humanitarian operations, with access frequently curtailed by checkpoints, demands for informal “taxes,” threats against staff and sporadic violence in remote locations.

The diplomats stressed that no armed group has the authority to confiscate equipment funded by foreign governments for humanitarian purposes, adding that such actions undermine international humanitarian law and jeopardize civilians who rely on aid to survive.

South Sudan, which emerged from a five-year civil war under a 2018 peace agreement, remains one of the world’s most challenging environments for humanitarian work as that agreement is now seen by the opposition as “dead” after the detention of the opposition group’s leader and First Vice President Riek Machar.