(OSV News): As fears of a return to full-scale war in South Sudan escalate, the country’s Catholic bishops have renewed their call for peace and dialogue, amid ongoing conflict and mobilisation in several regions.
Stephen Ameyu Martin Cardinal Mulla of Juba, president of the Sudan and South Sudan Bishops’ Conference, said the security and humanitarian situation in the country had rapidly deteriorated, citing renewed fighting between government forces, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition, and other armed groups in Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria states.
In a January 27 statement, the cardinal urged “all the leaders in the Unity Government and the non-signatories to the Revitalised Peace Agreement to stop war and embrace dialogue, listen to one another and to the people you claim to fight for their sake.”
Cardinal Mulla said, “The citizens are not properties, they are human beings and it will be good to know their pains, hunger for peace, and their desire to live in freedom.”
Quoting Pope Francis’ message to the people of South Sudan, in which he called for “no more war” and “no more bloodshed,” the cardinal said, “We are coming again with urgency to reiterate our appeal for dialogue, unity, peace, and reconciliation.”
As shepherds and leaders in this country, we are alarmed and surprised by the total disregard for the full implementation of the revitalised peace agreement
Cardinal Mulla
South Sudan gained independence in 2011, but in 2013, the world’s youngest nation descended into a brutal civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions.
The Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan, signed in 2018 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, ended countrywide fighting and allowed the formation of a transitional government.
Pope Francis played a significant role in bringing together opposing sides of the conflict. On 11 April 2019, he famously knelt and kissed the feet of South Sudanese political leaders at the end of a spiritual retreat at the Vatican.
Many of the commitments in the 2018 pact, including general elections and national security reforms, remain unfulfilled.
Now, the Catholic bishops are concerned that the agreement is being disregarded and dialogue sidelined.
“As shepherds and leaders in this country, we are alarmed and surprised by the total disregard for the full implementation of the revitalised peace agreement,” said Cardinal Mulla, noting that the bishops had raised concerns twice in 2025 about the pact’s inadequate implementation.
Directing forces to ‘spare no lives’ is a direct call to genocide. We call on all the fighting forces not to heed to any directive that risks victimising innocent civilians and pitting communities against each other
Cardinal Mulla
“The growing discord within the Unity Government, attacks and counter attacks between the warring parties in many parts of the country is spreading rapidly causing displacements, hunger, and many other inhuman conditions,” the cardinal warned in his January 27 statement.
Political tensions, violence, and repeated climate shocks—including flooding and economic collapse—have left an estimated 10 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
At the same time, bishops are concerned about hate speech, misinformation, and disinformation amplified on social media. Of particular concern was hate speech by a senior military general who called for indiscriminate violence against civilians in Jonglei State.
“Directing forces to ‘spare no lives’ is a direct call to genocide. We call on all the fighting forces not to heed to any directive that risks victimising innocent civilians and pitting communities against each other,” Cardinal Mulla said.
Father John Gbemboyo Joseph Mbikoyezu, pastoral and social communication coordinator for the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said that despite the signing of the revitalised peace agreement, recent escalations are driving the country towards full-scale war and a complete abandonment of dialogue.
Political tensions, violence, and repeated climate shocks—including flooding and economic collapse—have left an estimated 10 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance
“The warring parties are mobilising their affiliates to defend what they believe as theirs. They are mobilising resources for war, in disregard of the economic challenges facing the country,” Father Mbikoyezu lamented.
The country’s Christian Churches also rejected a proposed government amendment to the revitalised peace agreement, warning that if pursued prematurely or unilaterally, it would undermine its spirit, purpose, and achievements.
“Peace and stability cannot be built through selective implementation or actions taken outside the collective will of the signatories,” said the Reverend Tut Kony Nyang, an evangelical pastor and general secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches, which includes the Catholic Church.
Reverend Nyang said the Churches emphasised the full, faithful and timely implementation of the agreement, describing it as the most credible and viable pathway to the sustainable peace and stability the people of South Sudan deserve.
He called on all parties to exercise responsibility, restraint, and good faith, placing the welfare of the people above political interests.
“The prolonged suffering of citizens demands leadership committed to peace, stability, and accountability,” he said.
