The escalating crisis in South Sudan has drawn sharp international concern, with the Russian Foreign Ministry recently urging rival factions within the country to recommit to the 2018 peace agreement as the only viable pathway to peace. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, issued a clear warning on May 27, stressing that military force cannot resolve the growing violence tearing apart Africa’s youngest nation.

During a briefing held in Makhachkala, the capital of Russia’s Republic of Dagestan, Zakharova highlighted the dangerous deterioration of the security situation in South Sudan and its broader implications for regional and international stability. Her remarks underscored the gravity of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the East African country and the urgent need for political dialogue over armed confrontation.

Since early 2025, South Sudan has witnessed a sharp uptick in violent clashes between government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir Mayardit and opposition groups aligned with First Vice President Riek Machar. These confrontations have rapidly devolved into widespread ethnic-driven violence, severely undermining the fragile peace that was painstakingly forged in 2018.

The 2018 peace deal was celebrated as a landmark achievement following years of brutal civil war that erupted in 2013, plunging the young country into chaos. That conflict, sparked by a bitter power struggle between Kiir and Machar, resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths and displaced millions. While the peace deal brought a hopeful end to large-scale fighting, it was always fragile and dependent on continued political cooperation.

The recent surge in fighting has led to alarming humanitarian consequences. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) announced on May 26 that its medical teams had conducted over 1,000 surgeries on weapon-wounded patients in less than........

© Blitz