UN Chief: Situation in South Sudan 'darkly reminiscent' of civil wars
First Vice President Riek Machar was put under house arrest in the capital Juba on Wednesday, in effect voiding a 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that a peace agreement in South Sudan was in a shambles, telling the country's leaders to put down the weapons and put all the people of South Sudan first.
"Let's not mince words: What we are seeing is darkly reminiscent of the 2013 and 2016 civil wars, which killed 400,000 people," Guterres told reporters.
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First Vice President Riek Machar was put under house arrest in the capital Juba on Wednesday, in effect voiding a 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war and brought Machar and President Salva Kiir into a fragile power-sharing government.
On Friday, the information minister accused Machar of seeking to launch a rebellion against the government.
"All the dark clouds of a perfect storm have descended upon the people of the world's newest country – and one of the poorest," said Guterres, listing a security emergency, political upheaval, "a humanitarian nightmare", a displacement and funding crisis and an economic meltdown.
"Meanwhile, ethnic and political targeting by security forces – coupled with the spread of misinformation on social media – is lighting the fuse for even worse," he added.
The U.N. Mission in South Sudan "is working around the clock to ease tensions – engaging all parties and boosting protection of civilians," Guterres said.
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