Ms. Adeng Malual Leek, Executive Director of Women Ignite South Sudan, at a past event on February 28, 2025 – Courtesy.

JUBA, 27 March 2025 (Eye Radio) – A South Sudanese civil society activist has expressed concerns over the political developments in the country, warning that they threaten the hard-won progress toward sustainable peace.

Adeng Malual Leek, the Executive Director of Women Ignite South Sudan, cautioned that the escalating political and humanitarian crises could further exacerbate the already dire situation in the country.

She shared these concerns in an exclusive interview with Eye Radio on Wednesday, March 26, 2025.

Adeng highlighted the importance of early preventive measures to avoid the devastating consequences of conflict, especially for vulnerable populations such as women, children, and the elderly.

“I’ve seen that access to services, for example, for women who are pregnant, people who are sick, becomes a concern during conflict. These affect the situation of women, girls, and the elderly in accessing vital services,” she said.

“Even after the conflict, the destruction—mass destruction—affects the population, particularly women. We see sexual violence, economic violence, and human rights violations that happen during conflict.”

She emphasized that avoiding conflict and violence is crucial for the protection of women and vulnerable groups.

“It’s very important to prevent any kind of conflict or violence. It is also important for us as citizens to stop hate speech and find preventive measures to conflict and violations that might happen against women,” Adeng urged.

Furthermore, Adeng called on the diplomatic community to play a more active role in bringing South Sudan’s leaders together to prevent further violence and human rights violations.

“It is important for them [the diplomatic community] to continue calling for peace and the democratic process, sustaining diplomatic pressure and support,” she said.

“Continuous monitoring of the situation and revising statements is necessary to track violations. Engagement, further dialogue, and support to bring the leaders together will help find a solution for the protection of civilians, women, and youth.”

Adeng’s message underlines the importance of international collaboration in ensuring the safety and rights of South Sudan’s most vulnerable populations amidst the current political uncertainty.