Ahead of the Pope’s visit, embassies warn of more violence in South Sudan

The potential for further warfare in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State has alarmed the embassies of Britain, Norway, and the United States. The so-called Troika Embassies’ warning comes just days before Pope Francis’ first trip to South Sudan, which is scheduled for this Friday and billed by the Vatican as a pilgrimage of peace.

Fewer than 24 hours before Pope Francis is scheduled to arrive in the capital of the war-torn country of South Sudan, serious security warnings have been issued.

Foreign embassies have already issued alerts about a potential outbreak of conflict in several regions of the nation.

Violence may erupt in Upper Nile, the northeastern state that borders Ethiopia and Sudan on the north, according to the United States, the United Kingdom, and Norway, which are also peace guaranteeing parties for South Sudan’s revived transitional government.

The Troika Embassies will always support individuals who advocate for and fight for peace in South Sudan, according to U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan Michael Adler, who spoke to reporters in Juba.

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In that context, we are extremely concerned about signs that conflict may be returning to Upper Nile State. Political players in Juba and the South Sudanese transitional leadership have a duty to take action to stop this from happening and to find lasting, nonviolent solutions.

According to Michael English of UNMISS, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in South Sudan, there have been reports of a military buildup in an area under the control of the Agwelek forces, a paramilitary group. Johnson Olony, a former commander in the South Sudanese army who is now a rebel, is in charge of the outfit.

These accusations have been refuted by Agwelek, a militia that is thought to be friendly to the national army.

The militia organisation and the federal government agreed to absorb a portion of its forces into the national army last year.

Head of the Agwelek mission in Juba, Paul Achot is meeting with government representatives to discuss the implementation of the contract Agwelek and the army signed in January 2022.

He declared, “From our side, there is no planning of any kind to go and attack anybody. Therefore, I was shocked to hear the UNMISS, who is meant to be impartial, accusing us of planning to attack other forces and pointing fingers in our direction.

Over 60,000 people were displaced by conflict between Agwelek and other groups in 2022.

In the event of further fighting, the South Sudanese army says it is prepared to protect the populace.

To maintain peace during the pope’s visit, the government announced on Thursday that it would send nearly 5,000 security troops to Juba.

Pope Francis is travelling to Juba to spread a message of peace and harmony in a nation that is still plagued by intercommunal conflict. This is the continuation of a process that began in 2019 when Pope Francis hosted President Salva Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar, two political rivals at the time.

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Moderator of the Church of Scotland will accompany Pope Francis on the ecumenical tour.