Kiir faces Western backlash over Revitalized Peace Agreement collapse

JUBA — President Salva Kiir is facing mounting international pressure after the United States, the United Kingdom and Norway issued a blunt rebuke of South Sudan’s leadership, accusing it of presiding over the collapse of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement for the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).

This week, Kiir chaired a cabinet meeting endorsing the amendment of the peace agreement to pave for the country’s delayed general elections to take place in 2026, following consensus with other parties that signed the agreement, excluding the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), led by Dr. Riek Machar, who is currently in detention.

The SPLM-IO, one of the key pricipals to the agreement, maintained that the proposed amendments to the peace deal framework contravenes Articles 7.13, 7.14, and 8.4, which stipulate that changes to the Agreement must be approved by two-thirds of the Council of Ministers of the Reconstituted Transitional Government of National Unity, two-thirds of the voting members of the Revitalized Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), and subsequent ratification by the Transitional National Legislature under the Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan. This strict process reflects the Agreement’s intent to prioritise inclusivity and mutual trust.

It is just a window into the many components of the agreement overstepped by Mr Kiir, besides allocating positions and regions assigned to the opposition under the agreement, to the allies and members of his party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Government (SPLM-IG).

In a strongly worded joint statement released Wednesday this week, the three Western governments said that under the terms of the peace deal, Kiir should be leading a transitional government of national unity, but stressed that the arrangement “does not live up to the name,” citing persistent violations of power-sharing principles and a failure to implement key provisions of the agreement more than seven years after its signing.

The statement reflects growing international frustration with the Kiir-led government, which the three countries say has abandoned consensus-based governance in favour of unilateral decisions that are destabilising the country.

Rather than focusing on reforms and preparations for elections, the leadership has continued with what the statement described as “destabilising unilateral reshuffles,” further eroding trust among peace partners.

The Western powers said the optimism that followed the signing of the R-ARCSS was misplaced, despite sustained international support. They accused the transitional government of misusing public resources while failing to meet basic obligations to citizens, including paying public servants and delivering essential services.

“Public servant salaries are going unpaid and international donors are spending significantly more on delivering basic services to the people of South Sudan than the transitional government is itself,” the statement said.

The three governments also painted a grim picture of South Sudan’s economic decline, noting that at independence, oil revenues placed the country in the middle-income category, but it has since fallen to become “the world’s poorest, and its most corrupt.”

Beyond governance failures, the statement raised alarm over a renewed spread of violence across multiple parts of the country, warning that South Sudan risks sliding back to the levels of conflict seen in 2013 and 2016. Such a relapse, the countries cautioned, would be devastating for civilians and could further destabilise the region, particularly as neighbouring Sudan grapples with its own conflict.

Calling for an urgent reversal of course, the Western governments urged all parties to the peace agreement — especially the SPLM-IG and SPLM-IO — to halt armed attacks and recommit to the nationwide ceasefire and sustained, leader-level dialogue.

They also demanded immediate steps from the transitional government, including an end to aerial attacks against civilians, the release of political prisoners, payment of public sector salaries, and adequate funding for health, education and other essential services.

The statement further criticised interference by government officials in humanitarian operations and the work of regional and international organisations, singling out restrictions on the movement of UN peacekeepers as unacceptable and calling for them to end immediately.

The United States, the United Kingdom and Norway urged South Sudan’s regional neighbours and international partners to speak with one voice, warning that renewed large-scale conflict would have consequences beyond South Sudan’s borders.

“If they do so, they will attract the world’s support, investment, and respect,” the statement said, adding that South Sudan’s leaders must first restore trust through concrete actions — not rhetoric.