The violence in Nasir erupts a day after a presidency meeting agreed to ease tension in the region.

JUBA, (Eye Radio) – Diplomatic missions in South Sudan have jointly reiterated concern over politically driven violence and urge the release of political detainees to permit immediate resumption of dialogue to rescue the country from returning to war.

The press statement was issued on April 10 by the Embassies of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as the Delegation of the European Union.

They “reaffirm their concern over continued politically driven violence in South Sudan, repeated violations of the ceasefire, and the absence of visible efforts by the transitional government to restore and maintain peace.”

The Embassies and the Delegation also reaffirm their call for the release of political detainees to permit the immediate resumption of direct dialogue among leaders of all parties, including President Kiir and First Vice President Machar.

They also voiced concern over the postponement of the 40^th session of peace monitoring R-JMEC and called for its rescheduling without delay to focus on critical challenges to peace.

“There should be no unilateral actions that further jeopardize the 2018 peace agreement. It is urgent that South Sudan’s leaders meet their obligations and demonstrate that their priority is peace,” it added.

South Sudan has experienced a deteriorating security and political situation since February 2025 – following the outbreak of violence in Upper Nile, Western Equatoria and Western Bahr el Ghazal, and cantonment sites in Central Equatoria.

This prompted the United Nations to warn that the country was on the brink of another civil war.

Regional leaders including Ugandan President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, Kenyan Envoy Raila Odinga and a delegation of African Union Pane of the Wise, have recently visited Juba to engage parties on de-escalation and implementing the 2018 peace deal.

But the prospect for dialogue has been thrown into further uncertainty following fresh split within the SPLM-IO.

On April 8, a Juba-based faction of the party appointed an interim leadership, with Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol as the party’s chairperson deputized by Federal Affairs Minister Losuba Wango.

This came after SPLM-IO Deputy Chairman Oyet Nathaniel announced the suspension of those officials, who he accused of plotting to replace First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar, currently under house arrest.

SPLM-IO Deputy Chairman Oyet Nathaniel has condemned the interim leadership appointment in Juba as an attempt to violate the 2018 peace agreement called upon peace guarantors to safeguard the pact from abrogation.