Anita Kiki Gbeho, Officer in Charge, SRSG, and Deputy Special Representative in South Sudan - Courtesy File Photo

Anita Kiki Gbeho, the Officer in Charge and Deputy Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, addressed the 4th R-JMEC Extraordinary Plenary Meeting on Tuesday, October 7, cautioning that a continued lack of inclusive implementation risks a full relapse into conflict.

Gbeho’s statement highlighted the urgent deterioration of the situation since February, citing three major concerns such as deteriorating security, political schism, and humanitarian catastrophe risk.

According ot the UN Deputy Special Representative, the security situation has worsened, marked by aerial bombardments and direct political violence between principal parties to the R-ARCSS.

Gbeho stated that the UN Human Rights Office recorded a 59 per cent sharp increase in civilian casualties due to conflict-related violence between January and September compared to the same period last year.

The UN representative says the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar and other senior SPLM/A-IO officials since March 2025 has deepened the political crisis.

She urged that all related judicial proceedings adhere to international standards of fairness, transparency, and due process.

Gbeho pointed out that insecurity and conflict have newly displaced over 321,000 people this year, compounded by the influx of refugees from Sudan.

According to her, humanitarian access has become dangerously restricted, with 70 access incidents reported by the end of September—more than double the number recorded in September 2024.

Ms. Gbeho stressed that the challenges are “man-made, fundamentally political, and only resolvable through inclusive dialogue.”

“The revitalized peace agreement, agreed to by the parties themselves, remains the only framework for completing an inclusive political transition and achieving lasting peace in South Sudan. There is no alternative,” she stated.

The UN called for an immediate return to constructive dialogue and a clear, consensual path to exit the transitional period, urging all armed actors to ensure the safety of aid workers and warning that without urgent restoration of access, a “full-scale food and nutrition catastrophe is possible.