Western countries have urged South Sudan’s transitional government to resume inclusive political dialogue, warning that lasting peace and stability depend on accountable governance.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the embassies of Canada,
Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the
United States expressed deep concern over government actions that have
contributed to the country’s humanitarian crisis.
“For far too long, the transitional government’s actions
have worsened South Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, which they look to
international assistance to mitigate,” the statement said.
It emphasized ongoing violence and restricted humanitarian
access in areas including Akobo, Jonglei State, where military operations
displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians.
“We call on South Sudan’s leaders to end the violence,
return to political dialogue, ensure the protection of all civilians, and use
their national resources to start helping their own people, starting with
Akobo,” the statement reads.
“International assistance cannot, and should not, substitute
for accountable governance,” it added, pointing to impeded humanitarian access,
including limits on flights for aid delivery and civilian relocation.
The joint statement follows U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan
Michael J. Adler’s position that credible elections this year require
conditions that ensure peace and lasting stability, including inclusive
dialogue.
“This requires the immediate start of interparty dialogue.
It is impossible to accept that there is interparty dialogue when the head of
the second-largest party to the 2018 peace agreement is under arrest and on
trial,” Adler said.
Dr. Riek Machar, leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation
Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO) and principal signatory to the 2018 peace
deal, has been under house arrest since March 2025. He is facing trial
alongside seven others over charges linked to an attack on a South Sudan
People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) garrison in Nasir.
Calls for his release have been made internationally to
safeguard the peace agreement, but the government has rejected them as external
interference in the judicial process.
South Sudan has been in a transitional period since the 2015
and 2018 peace agreements, which ended years of civil war that began in 2013.
The deals aimed to share power among rival factions and set a timeline for
elections.
The fourth attempt at national polls is scheduled for December 2026, raising doubts about credible elections amid ongoing political and security challenges.
