South Sudan’s peace advocates have condemned renewed fighting between government and opposition forces in Unity State, warning they may take legal action against the warring parties for breaching the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.
Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) Executive Director Edmond Yakani said on Tuesday that the recent clashes in Ropkona County, which left at least a dozen soldiers dead, mark a dangerous return to war and a violation of commitments made under the peace deal mediated by IGAD.
“The violence in Ropkona between the SSPDF and SPLA-IO is a clear declaration that our country is sliding back to war. This directly violates the promises made by our leaders that South Sudan would never return to conflict under their watch,” Yakani said.
Yakani accused military and political leaders from both the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and the SPLA-IO of choosing “military solutions” over peaceful dialogue, a strategy he said is exacting a heavy toll on ordinary citizens.
“Some leaders in uniform still believe that using military confrontation is the best way to resolve political crises, but it is the ordinary citizens paying the highest price,” he stated.
“We have lost our sons and daughters, whether in SSPDF, SPLA-IO, or as civilians, because of these senseless confrontations.”
The civil society leader urged both sides to respect the 2017 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement and pursue dialogue instead of further escalation.
He expressed frustration that repeated calls for inclusive political engagement have gone unheeded.
“We are tired of calling for inclusive political dialogue. It seems our leaders have closed their minds to peaceful solutions. Enough is enough,” Yakani lamented
He warned that civil society groups are now considering filing a legal challenge against both SSPDF and SPLA-IO in the East African Court of Justice or the African Court of Justice, accusing them of violating their obligations under the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
“Your continuous military confrontation is motivating us to question your commitment to political transition from violence to peace,” Yakani warned.
“We will not hesitate to take the matter to regional or continental courts to hold you accountable.”
Yakani further criticized military and political elites for waging wars that do not directly affect their families while ordinary citizens bear the suffering.
“Those who engineer military solutions are not losing their own family members — they are forcing others to bury theirs,” he said. “You must take responsibility.”
The renewed fighting in Ropkona follows earlier clashes in Nasir County in March, raising fears of a broader relapse into conflict as the country edges toward the end of its fragile transitional period.
Yakani’s statement emphasizes growing frustration within civil society over what they see as the slow and selective implementation of the peace deal, and the continued militarization of politics in South Sudan.
