The United Nations has expressed deep concern following remarks from a senior military leader in South Sudan, who urged his troops to “spare no one,” including vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly, when deployed to opposition-held regions.
Yasmin Sooka, head of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (UNCHRSS), condemned this inflammatory rhetoric, stating that it is “utterly abhorrent and must cease immediately.”
General Johnson Oluny, South Sudan’s deputy army chief, made this alarming call while addressing his Agwelek militia in preparation for deployment to Jonglei state, an area recently captured by forces loyal to suspended Vice-President Riek Machar. Machar currently faces trial on charges of murder, treason, and crimes against humanity, which he denies.
In a troubling escalation, the military has ordered all civilians, UN mission personnel, and aid agency workers to evacuate three counties in Jonglei state ahead of an impending operation against opposition forces. Last week, the chief of the defense force directed troops in the region to “crush the rebellion” within a week.
In a video posted on Facebook, Oluny was heard instructing his troops to “spare no one—neither the elderly nor children, and to leave no house standing.”
The UNCHRSS has voiced “grave alarm” over the renewed fighting in Jonglei, north of the capital Juba, where civilians are reportedly fleeing into swamps to escape the violence. The UN estimates that more than 180,000 individuals have been displaced by the escalating conflict.
The UNCHRSS emphasized that no senior political or military leader in Juba can claim ignorance of the blatant calls for violence against civilians in Jonglei. Sooka described the language advocating the killing of those no longer participating in hostilities as profoundly dangerous and shocking.
The military has mandated that all civilians in Nyirol, Uror, and Akobo counties evacuate immediately to government-controlled areas for their safety. UNMISS personnel and those from non-governmental organizations have also been ordered to leave these counties within 48 hours.
A spokesperson for UNMISS assured that peacekeepers in Akobo remain committed to de-escalating tensions and preventing conflict, although it remains unclear if UN staff in other counties have also stayed.
Meanwhile, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by Machar, has announced its intention to reach Juba by the end of February. However, the army has dismissed these claims, asserting that the opposition lacks the capacity for such an assault. Army spokesperson General Lul Ruai Koang expressed confidence in the military’s readiness to face any eventuality, despite the SPLM-IO controlling certain counties in Jonglei, with Bor, the state capital, remaining under government control.
Conflict in South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, erupted in 2013, two years post-independence, when President Salva Kiir accused Machar of attempting to overthrow him. Although a 2018 peace deal aimed to end the civil war that resulted in nearly 400,000 deaths, it has never been fully implemented, and the relationship between Kiir and Machar has deteriorated amid rising ethnic tensions and sporadic violence. The power-sharing agreement between the two rivals has collapsed, especially after Kiir’s recent actions against Machar, who was arrested last March. The civil war saw the country fracture along ethnic lines, resulting in significant violence between Kiir’s Dinka community and the Nuer supporters of Machar.
