South Sudan’s political deadlock is sharpening into violence, the head of U.N. peacekeeping warned Tuesday, warning that the country is approaching a “dangerous precipice.” Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the U.N. undersecretary-general for peacekeeping, said the escalation is driven by the government and opposition each positioning its actions as self-defense while preparing for the possibility of large-scale hostilities.
Lacroix urged the U.N. Security Council and the broader international community to press for a return to dialogue and a shared way forward so the country can avoid a further breakdown ahead of a presidential election long delayed. He said there were high hopes when oil-rich South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011, but that the country slid into civil war in December 2013, largely along ethnic lines, when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, fought those loyal to opposition leader Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer.
More than 400,000 people were killed in that conflict, which ended in 2018 with a peace agreement that brought the opponents together in a government of national unity, with Kiir as president and Machar as vice president. But Lacroix said implementation has been slow, and he pointed to a long-delayed presidential election scheduled for December as the latest inflection point in a fragile political process.
Lacroix said the U.N. has seen a major escalation of tensions in recent weeks, focusing on Jonglei state northeast of the capital, Juba. He cited reports of bombings, inflammatory rhetoric, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access, and he said more than 280,000 people have been displaced by violence in the area.
The peacekeeping chief said the African Union Peace and Security Council, the regional bloc IGAD, and the United Nations have all said there is no military solution, and that the 2018 peace agreement remains “the only viable framework for peace and stability.” Lacroix emphasized that without broad consensus—particularly consensus that includes all parties that have placed hopes in the process—any election would fall short of credibility, warning that “without consensus, without the participation of all those who have placed their hopes into this peace process, and in all corners, in all 10 states of the country, any election will not be credible and therefore worthy of our support.”
He also described South Sudan as one of the most dangerous places in the world for humanitarian workers, citing U.N. reporting that counted 350 attacks on humanitarian staff and facilities in 2025, compared with 255 in 2024. Lacroix said despite government assurances, humanitarian partners continue to report persistent constraints on delivering aid, especially to areas held by the opposition, during the country’s worst cholera outbreak.
Lacroix said more than 98,000 cholera cases have been reported since the outbreak began in September 2024, and he said cases are again surging in Jonglei. He also cited airstrikes and looting affecting health facilities, including a Feb. 3 air attack on a hospital in Lankien, a town in Jonglei, that destroyed critical medical supplies and injured staff.
Against the fighting and the humanitarian strain, Lacroix said the U.N. has been forced to cut its peacekeeping presence in South Sudan due to lack of funding. He said the reduction has decreased patrols to protect civilians by up to 40% in areas where U.N. forces are decreasing, and by up to 70% in areas where bases have been forced to close.
These developments come as more than 10 million people require humanitarian assistance, including 7.5 million facing food insecurity and over 1.3 million returnees and refugees from Sudan, Lacroix said. He warned that shrinking humanitarian space and reduced protection capacity raise the risk that political violence could intensify further.