Author: Staff reporter | Published: 7 hours ago
UN Secretary General António Guterres. [Photo: courtesy]
JUBA / NEW YORK (Eye Radio) – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has issued an urgent demand for the Government of South Sudan and opposition forces to immediately halt all military operations as fighting intensifies in Jonglei State.
In a statement released Thursday, the UN chief warned that the escalating violence—which has already displaced an estimated 180,000 civilians this month—risks plunging the nation back into a full-scale civil war unless a political solution is prioritized over military force.
In a statement delivered on January 29, 2026, by his spokesperson, Stéphane Dujarric, the Secretary-General warned that the announcement of expanded military operations and the use of “inflammatory rhetoric” targeting specific communities risk a catastrophic relapse into widespread civil conflict.
The UN chief noted that in just the first few weeks of 2026, the South Sudanese government has reported a total of 250,000 civilians displaced nationwide due to ongoing hostilities.
Parties to the conflict were urged to respect international law, protect innocent lives, and ensure the safety of UN peacekeepers and humanitarian personnel.
Guterres emphasized that there is no military path to peace, calling for an “inclusive dialogue” and a consensus-based roadmap to facilitate credible elections in the final year of the transition period.
The violence is severely impacting an already dire situation where two-thirds of the population requires aid. UN OCHA reports that in Jonglei alone, looting of health facilities has left 115,000 people without basic healthcare amid a rising cholera outbreak in Duk County.
