AU Commission Chairperson to deploy Panel of the Wise for South Sudan mediation

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Mahmoud Youssouf Ali, is dispatching a high-level delegation of the AU Panel of the Wise to Juba, South Sudan, to engage with all the stakeholders to de-escalate tensions and promote dialogue following a rapidly deteriorating crisis the country.

A press release by the AU said this is to enhance mediation efforts and support the full implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). 

The press release said Chairperson of the AUC is taking the step after cordial direct talks with President Salva Kiir of South Sudan during which he addressed “the evolving political situation in South Sudan and the recent violence in Nasir”.

Expressing solidarity with the Government and people of South Sudan, the AUC Chairperson reaffirmed the AU’s unwavering commitment to dialogue, reconciliation, and lasting peace, it said.

The AU has called on all parties to uphold all the provisions of R-ARCSS and ensure its full implementation.

“The AU remains actively engaged with regional and international partners, including IGAD (Intergovernmental Authority on Development), the EAC (East African Community), and the United Nations, to support South Sudan’s transition to durable peace and democracy.”

Last Wedneday, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) called on all parties to exercise restraint and uphold the peace agreement as violence escalated amidst reports of the detention of First Vice President Riek Machar.

“(Tonight), the country’s leaders stand on the brink of relapsing into widespread conflict or taking the country forward towards peace, recovery and democracy in the spirit of the consensus that was reached in 2018 when they signed and committed to implementing a Revitalised Peace Agreement,” UNMISS Head, Nicholas Haysom, said in a statement.

Mr. Haysom, who is also the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for South Sudan, cautioned that any unilateral amendments could reverse seven years of fragile progress and risk plunging South Sudan back into war.

“This will not only devastate South Sudan but also affect the entire region,” he added.

UNMISS urged all parties to immediately cease hostilities and engage in constructive dialogue that prioritises the well-being of the South Sudanese people at this critical juncture.

After finally gaining independence from neighbouring Sudan in July 2011, civil war broke out in South Sudan in December 2013 between troops loyal to President Kiir and opposition forces led by his rival Machar, resulting in hundreds of thousands of deaths. 

In 2018, a peace agreement ended the fighting and established a unity government.

However, the arrest of Mr. Machar on Wednesday – alongside mounting military clashes and reported attacks on civilian populations – signals a severe unravelling of the peace process and a direct threat to millions, according to the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan explained.

South Sudan is now facing what the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, described as a security emergency, political upheaval, humanitarian catastrophe, displacement crisis, economic collapse and a severe funding shortfall – all at once.

Half the population is severely food insecure, he warned, while three out of four people require humanitarian assistance.  

Meanwhile, over one million people have fled across the border from Sudan since fighting broke out there last year between rival militaries – and cholera has been reported, compounding the crisis.

“South Sudan may have fallen off the world’s radar,” Mr. Guterres said, “but we cannot let the situation fall over the abyss.”

Mr. Guterres urged South Sudanese leaders to “put down the weapons” and “put all the people of South Sudan first”.  

He called for the restoration of the Government of National Unity and the full implementation of the peace agreement, which remains the only legal path to free and fair elections in December 2026.

He also appealed to the regional and international community to speak with one voice in support of peace. 

“We fully support the initiative to deploy the [African Union] Panel of the Wise,” he said, adding that he had spoken with the Chairperson of the AU Commission.  

-0- PANA MA 1April2025