Berlin claims South Sudan’s leadership is steering the country into a spiral of violence
Germany has temporarily closed its embassy in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, saying Africa’s newest country is on the verge of civil war amid reports of heightened tensions between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his first deputy, Riek Machar.
The German Foreign Office announced the move on Saturday, two weeks after the US ordered its non-emergency government personnel in South Sudan to leave the country, citing security concerns.
“After years of fragile peace, South Sudan is once again on the brink of civil war. President Kiir and Vice President Machar are plunging the country into a spiral of violence,” the ministry wrote on X.
“Germany has decided to temporarily close operations of our embassy in Juba due to the current situation. The safety of our colleagues is top priority,” it added.
The East African country gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but has remained volatile since the end of a five-year civil war that erupted in 2013 over a feud between President Kiir and his current first vice president, Machar. Despite a 2018 peace deal allowing the rivals to share power, political tensions persist due to Kiir’s frequent dismissals of officials reportedly loyal to Machar.
Last week, Kiir sacked the governor of Upper Nile state, where clashes have erupted between South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army militia, which is mostly made up of Nuer people, Machar’s ethnic group. Two ministers and several senior military officials allied with Machar have also been arrested. Earlier this month, several soldiers of the SSPDF, including an army general, were killed when a UN helicopter came under attack while attempting to evacuate them from the troubled Upper Nile state.
The Sudanese government and army accuse Machar and his party of escalating the conflict. The vice president has denied the allegations and reportedly accused Kiir of attempting to depose his supporters.
Last Tuesday, the United Nations peacekeeping chief in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, warned the Security Council that the landlocked state “is poised on the brink of relapse into civil war” and requires “immediate and collective intervention.” He said the crisis “threatens to erase the hard-won peace gains since the signing of the Revitalized Agreement in 2018.”
On Saturday, the German Foreign Ministry urged Kiir and Machar to put an end to the “senseless violence” and “finally implement the peace agreement.” In a joint statement last week, Berlin’s embassy, along with those of Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, the UK, the US, and the European Union delegation, offered to mediate direct dialogue between the Sudanese leader and his deputy in order to restore peace.
