Churches in South Sudan have joined their voice to express their concern over the new upsurge of fighting and tensions between President Salva Kiir and his First Vice President and former rebel leader Riek Machar that risks plunging the country in a new civil war.

Tensions between the two rival leaders have grown with the repeated postponement of elections in South Sudan, and escalated in March when a militia loyal to Machar and his Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), overran an army base in Upper Nile State, and several of Machar’s senior allies were arrested by security forces.

Machar's arrest on March 26

They reached a new high this week after the arrest of Machar and his wife, who is also the country's interior minister, on March 26. The U.N. warned on Monday that the country was teetering on the edge of a renewed civil war.

Following reports of the detention of Machar, the head of the U.N peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, Nicholas Haysom, said all parties should “exercise restraint and uphold the Revitalized Peace Agreement (R-ARCSS)” that officially  ended the five years civil war of 2013-2018.  

Churches’ calling for dialogue

Churches in South Sudan have reacted to these developments with an appeal to dialogue to solve their differences.  "This is not the time for senseless wars; on the contrary, politicians must foster unity and engage in peaceful dialogue to address the challenges facing the population," stated Bishop Matthew Remijio Adam Gbitiku of Wau, quoted by Fides news agency.

The Council of Evangelical Churches of South Sudan has called for "an impartial investigation” into the root causes of these conflicts. The Churches also expressed "concern over the presence of foreign forces in South Sudan" and encouraged "the resolution of security issues through diplomatic engagement, ensuring that national sovereignty and stability are respected."

The 2013-2018 civil war in South Sudan

The South Sudanese Civil War erupted in 2013,  two years after South Sudan’s independence  from Sudan in 2011 dividing the country along ethnic lines with Kiir leading forces predominantly from the Dinka group and Machar rallying support from the Nuer.

The five-year war led to immense suffering, with over 400,000 deaths and massive displacement, severely undermining the young nation’s stability.

Although the conflict officially ended with the signing of the R-ARCSS in 2018 its implementation has been slow and inconsistent  due to the ongoing tensions between the two rival leaders and disputes over security arrangements, governance, and state boundaries.

Humanitarian crises and economic instability in South Sudan have further complicated the peace process.

Apart from the political struggle between the two South-Sudanese  "strongmen" vying for power since the country’s independence in 2011, South Sudan is also plagued by local and tribal conflicts that contribute to its instability. In its statement The CEOFSS highlighted that “intercommunal violence remains a pressing concern, including cattle raids in Warrap and Jonglei states and clashes between farmers and herders in parts of Equatoria.”

Pope Francis’ initiatives for peace in South Sudan

Pope Francis has repeatedly expressed his constant concern for the plight of the South Sudanese people, and over the years has launched several appeals for peace in the country, which he visited in February 2023, but also a number of significant initiatives.

Among them, the special Prayer Vigil for South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo which he presided over in St. Peter’s Basilica on November 23, 2017 and the Day of Prayer he called for on February 23, 2018, following the first postponement, for security reasons, of his ecumenical visit to the country, along with Anglican Primate and Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

In Summer 2017 he also launched the "Pope for South Sudan" initiative, a financial contribution of around half a million US dollars to support health, educational and agricultural projects in the country.

Then, on April 11, 2019, the Pope and Archbishop Welby invited the highest South Sudanese civil and ecclesial authorities to join an ecumenical retreat in the Vatican. At the end of the retreat at the Casa Santa Marta, he made the highly significant gesture of kissing the feet of President Kiir and of his rival Machar in a plea for peace.

On 9 July 2021 Pope Francis, Archbishop Welby together with the then-Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland Jim Wallace wrote a joint message to South Sudanese leaders expressing satisfaction for the progress made in the peace process, while reaffirming the need to make "greater efforts" so that the people of South Sudan may " enjoy the full fruits of independence". The message also confirmed their intention to visit South Sudan as soon as conditions allowed.

Finally, Pope Francis reaffirmed his affection for the peoples of the South Sudan and the Democratic Republic  of Congo   in a video message he released on July 2,2022, after the postponement of his Apostolic Journey to the two countries , in which he urged them not to let themselves “be robbed of hope”.