GENEVA: The United Nations human rights chief issued a stark warning on Friday, stating that South Sudan is on the brink of renewed conflict as violence sharply escalates across the country.
According to UN data, from January to September 2025, at least 1,854 civilians were killed, 1,693 were injured, 423 were abducted, and 169 cases of sexual violence were reported — a 59% increase compared to the same period last year.
The UN noted that limited access to affected areas likely means the actual figures are significantly higher.
“This is unconscionable and must stop,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in a statement.
He said fears were “intensifying” that a 2018 peace deal, which ended a brutal five-year civil war in South Sudan, was about to collapse and send the country back to “all-out fighting.”
“I deeply worry for the plight of civilians in South Sudan,” Turk said, calling on the country’s leaders and international community to do everything in their power to pull South Sudan from the brink.”
Fighting has escalated sharply since March, with the army carrying out “indiscriminate” airstrikes in populated areas of Upper Nile, Jonglei, Unity, Central Equatoria, and Warrap states, the statement said.
Homes, schools, and clinics have been destroyed, displacing thousands, it added.
Communal violence has also intensified, with inter-clan and ethnic clashes in Warrap and Jonglei states contributing to a 33% rise in civilian deaths. The UN further reported at least 45 extrajudicial killings carried out by security forces so far this year.
UN rights chief Volker Turk also urged the South Sudanese government to uphold due process in the trial of suspended First Vice President Riek Machar, who faces charges of treason and crimes against humanity in connection with a March attack on a military base.
