South Sudan on the abyss: UN warns of a new surface fire and cholera crisis!

South Sudan on the abyss: UN warns of a new surface fire and cholera crisis!

Juba, Südsudan - The situation in South Sudan has worsened dramatically and international organizations warn of a possible humanitarian nightmare. Nicholas Haysom, the head of the UN mission in South Sudan (Unmiss), said that there could be a nationwide outbreak of fighting. The focus is on averting a relapse into a comprehensive conflict. The tensions between the supporters of President Salva Kiir and the supporters of the arrested Vice President Riek Machar are increasing.

Since March, around 130,000 people have been sold due to the escalating violence. Almost 200 people have already been killed in various regions, especially in the northeast. Haysom emphasized that the unstable security situation also promotes the spread of cholera, which has already cost 900 people. This flaring conflict also endangers the peace agreement signed in 2018, which ended the five -year civil war in South Sudan and in the meantime cost around 400,000 people.

conflict cooker South Sudan

The arrest of Riek Machar, which was carried out by an armed convoy high -ranking security officer, has contributed to a further escalation. This measure is considered to be fatal to the peace process by Machar's party, the SPLM/IO. Machar and his wife, the Interior Minister Angelina Teny, were arrested in Juba and are under house arrest. In the midst of this tension, the USA and the UN are criticizing the violation of the peace treaty, which has fulfilled hard -winning achievements in the past seven years.

President Kiir assured that he did not want to wade his country back to war. Nevertheless, the military presence around Machar's residence has led to an atmosphere of panic among the population. The civil society leader Edmund Yakani warned of the risk of a comprehensive war, while the African Union and the regional organization IGAD are planning to send high -ranking delegations to the de -escalation of the situation to Juba.

Humanitarian crisis in the context of the conflict

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan is already precarious and is further tightened by the conflicts in the neighboring country of Sudan. Over 500,000 people have fled in the South Sudan, and the UNHCR predicts over four million displaced persons for 2024, including two million internal refugees. Currently, about 50% of the population acutely threatened by hunger, which still exacerbates the humanitarian emergency.

In addition, massive human rights violations and corruption to the highest political and economic levels in the country can be seen. Humanitarian aid deliveries are often hindered by corruption, while the main income of the elite comes from the oil industry, which is heavily burdened by the civil war. Although the 2018 Peace Treaty was signed, the implementation of the reforms is left behind the expectations, and the dialogue between the conflict parties is often fruitless.

The international community has strengthened its efforts in recent years to protect the civilian population and find diplomatic solutions. However, the repeated postponement of the elections planned for 2024 and the stuck political situation gives little hope of an early improvement. While the diplomatic conversations are continued, the location remains tense and unsafe.