Western powers urge leaders choose peace over violence, demand free elections

JUBA – Embassies of South Sudan’s Western friends in Juba on Friday issued a joint statement demanding that leaders choose peaceful means against use of violence to resolve political different and demanding free elections at the end of the current transitional period in December 2024.

The statement issued by the embassies of the United States, United Kingdom, Norway, and Canada to marks ten years since outbreak of violence in South Sudan in December 2013 serves as a stark reminder of the conflict’s devastating toll and a clarion call for action to prevent further bloodshed.

“This month marks the tenth anniversary of the outbreak of South Sudan’s civil war,” the statement extended to Sudans Post said, echoing the collective grief for lives lost and dreams shattered. “We remember all who lost their lives and suffered as a result.”

The embassies’ message is clear: the time for empty promises and political maneuvering is over.

“At this time, we reaffirm our call on all South Sudan’s leaders of all parties to demonstrate their dedication to peace by urgently taking the steps necessary to hold free, fair, and peaceful elections in December 2024,” the statement said.

This demand places the onus squarely on President Salva Kiir and his first deputy, Riek Machar, whose fragile power-sharing agreement has failed to deliver lasting stability since the deal that brought them together was signed in September 2013.

Recognizing the deep-rooted nature of the conflict, the statement goes beyond mere calls for elections. It demands a fundamental shift in mindset: “Leaders and all those in positions of power and influence must unequivocally renounce the use of violence to resolve political differences and commit to hold accountable those who fail to do so.”

This demand for accountability is crucial to break the cycle of impunity that has fueled the conflict for a decade.

The statement concludes with a message of solidarity: “We stand with those who work for peace in South Sudan.”

South Sudan plunged into violent conflict in December 2013. On the night of December 15, clashes erupted within the presidential guards unit, intensifying tensions in Juba.

The subsequent day, December 16, 2023, witnessed appalling violence as Nuer civilians became targets and were mercilessly massacred throughout the capital.

In 2015, an African Union report revealed that the state had officially sanctioned and premeditated the killings of Nuer civilians prior to the eruption of violence in Juba.

The conflict largely unfolded along ethnic lines, embroiling President Salva Kiir and his then-first deputy, Riek Machar, who later assumed leadership of the SPLM-IO following the outbreak of war in 2013.

Despite the initial signing of a peace agreement in 2015, its integrity was breached during clashes at a presidential palace in Juba.

A revised version of this agreement emerged in 2018, yet both factions have encountered formidable obstacles in implementing its provisions.

Despite persistent calls from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, the European Union, and other international entities, urging the two leaders to propel the peace process forward, a palpable lack of political will from both sides has stymied any constructive response or progress.