Mevlut Ozkan
26 February 2026•Update: 26 February 2026
ISTANBUL
The US on Thursday criticized South Sudan’s peace process as “farcical,” urging the government to honor a 2018 peace agreement as opposition leader Riek Machar faces a trial.
The State Department’s Bureau of African Affairs wrote on the US social media company X that Juba must take urgent action to uphold peace and reduce the risk of civil war by immediately returning to dialogue among the parties to the 2018 agreement.
“It is farcical to say that such dialogue is taking place while the head of the second largest party to the agreement, First Vice President Machar, is under arrest and on trial,” it said.
Machar has been under house arrest since last March and faces serious charges, including murder, treason, and crimes against humanity.
The US said South Sudan’s transitional government must curb “misuse” of public funds, end “abuse” of US aid, and stop “exploiting” the American immigration system, while ensuring transparency, proper governance and full cooperation with US law.
It said Juba has “repeatedly failed to live up to its commitments to international partners and its responsibilities to support its people,” warning that immediate reforms are needed to maintain US support.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, gained independence in July 2011 but descended into civil war in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir Mayardit dismissed then-Vice President Machar, accusing him of plotting a coup.
Despite the 2018 peace agreement and the formation of a transitional unity government, clashes and political tensions have persisted.
Fighting between the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO), led by Oyet Nathaniel, deputy chair of the SPLM-IO, has intensified since December in northern Jonglei.
Tensions escalated in 2025, exposing deep divisions within the transitional government formed under the 2018 peace deal. Clashes were first reported in January in Western Equatoria State before spreading north.
