The United States has ordered all non-emergency staff in South Sudan to leave the country amid escalating tensions that threaten to destabilize an already fragile peace agreement. The decision follows recent violent clashes between various political and ethnic factions, raising concerns about a return to widespread conflict.
The fighting has placed increased strain on the 2018 peace deal signed between President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar, which ended a five-year civil war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. Despite the agreement, tensions between the two leaders have persisted, and key provisions of the deal including a new constitution, elections, and the integration of armed factions into a unified military force remain unimplemented.
On March 8, 2025, the U.S. State Department announced its directive, citing the volatile security situation and the widespread availability of weapons among the population. The UN human rights commission for South Sudan also raised alarm over what it described as an “alarming regression” in the country’s peace progress.
A particularly concerning incident occurred on Friday when a UN helicopter evacuating members of the national army came under fire. The attack resulted in several fatalities, including one crew member. The violence intensified earlier in the week with the arrest of the deputy chief of the army and two ministers aligned with Machar’s opposition faction. An opposition spokesperson condemned the detentions as a “grave violation” of the peace agreement.
The clashes have been most pronounced in the Upper Nile state, where government forces have engaged in battles with the White Army, a militia that had previously fought alongside Machar during the civil war. Such developments have fueled fears that South Sudan could spiral back into large-scale conflict.
President Kiir has called for calm and reassured the public that the country will not return to war. However, with sporadic violence persisting in various regions, uncertainty looms over the future stability of the world’s youngest nation.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but was soon plunged into a brutal civil war in 2013 following a political rift between Kiir and Machar. The 2018 peace deal brought relative stability, but with rising hostilities and key reforms stalled, the path to lasting peace remains uncertain.
