Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been displaced following the collapse of the power-sharing agreement between President Kiir and opposition leader Riek Machar
By EAC Post Staff | March 15, 2026
JUBA, South Sudan — Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by escalating fighting across South Sudan since the beginning of 2026, as the collapse of a critical power-sharing agreement between the government and main opposition forces drives the country toward renewed civil war.
Power-Sharing Deal Unravels
The crisis marks the breakdown of the 2020 peace agreement that established a unity government between President Salva Kiir’s ruling SPLM party and the opposition SPLM-IO, led by Riek Machar. The power-sharing arrangement was designed to end a devastating civil war that claimed an estimated 400,000 lives between 2013 and 2018.
However, tensions reached a breaking point last month when President Kiir ordered the arrest of Machar, who served as First Vice President under the unity government. The detention effectively dismantled the core power-sharing provisions of the peace deal and triggered widespread violence across multiple states.
“The detention of Machar undermined core power-sharing arrangements, triggering political uncertainty and armed clashes on a scale that has not been witnessed in the country for the past decade,” stated a United Nations inquiry report released last month.
Jonglei State Under Siege
The violence has been particularly severe in Jonglei state, where the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) launched a major offensive in January after losing several military garrisons to opposition fighters.
“We heard the government intended to attack, so we fled to the bush,” said John Dhie, a displaced resident from Walgak in Jonglei state. “A bomb fell near my house [and] everything we owned was burned.”
Dhie is among thousands who sought refuge in Akobo town, which had served as a safe haven for displaced civilians until last week when the SSPDF ordered civilians, aid organizations, and UN peacekeepers to evacuate ahead of a planned military assault.
Regional Implications
The conflict has drawn in regional forces, with Ugandan troops now supporting the South Sudanese government in military operations against opposition forces. The involvement of external actors has raised concerns about the conflict spreading beyond South Sudan’s borders.
International observers warn that the current trajectory could lead to a return to full-scale civil war, reversing years of fragile peace-building efforts and putting millions of civilians at risk.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
The United Nations and humanitarian organizations have issued urgent appeals for increased aid funding as the displacement crisis grows. Humanitarian access remains severely limited in conflict-affected areas, preventing critical assistance from reaching those in need.
“The situation is deteriorating rapidly,” said one aid worker who requested anonymity due to security concerns. “People are fleeing with nothing, and there’s nowhere safe for them to go.”
International Response
The African Union and United Nations have called for the immediate release of Riek Machar and a return to the implementation of the 2020 peace agreement. However, diplomatic efforts have so far failed to halt the escalating violence.
The UN inquiry report accused government forces of using indiscriminate force against civilian populations in opposition-held areas, potentially constituting war crimes under international law.
Looking Forward
With the peace agreement effectively collapsed and violence spreading to new areas, South Sudan faces its most serious crisis since the end of the civil war. The international community is under increasing pressure to take stronger action to prevent a return to the devastating conflict that killed hundreds of thousands less than a decade ago.
For the displaced civilians fleeing their homes, the immediate priority is survival. For the international community, the challenge is preventing another catastrophic war in a region already facing multiple humanitarian emergencies.
EAC Post will continue to monitor developments in South Sudan and provide updates as the situation evolves.
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