South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has fired Upper Nile governor James Odhok Oyay, worsening the standoff with First Vice President Riek Machar that threatens to pull the world’s youngest nation back into war.
The removal came after fighting between government troops and the White Army militia, which the government links to Machar. The clash forced soldiers to pull back from Nasir town near the Ethiopian border.
Kiir's side says the sacking will "bring peace" to Upper Nile. But Machar's spokesperson Puok Both Baluang called it "a severe breach" of the 2018 peace deal.
The firing stokes fears that the hard-won peace pact, which ended a five-year civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people, is breaking down.
White Army Takeover and Arrests Stoke Fresh Tensions
Trouble started on 4 March when the White Army, a Nuer militia believed to be linked with Machar, overran a South Sudan People’s Defence Force base in Nasir, Upper Nile State.
The fighting followed plans to replace long-standing troops with a mixed force of government soldiers and local fighters. These moves broke the peace deal’s rules about troop changes.
In the wake of the violence, Kiir’s government arrested several top officials from Machar’s party, including two ministers and a deputy military chief.
A UN peacekeeping mission tried to help wounded soldiers but fell under attack, losing one crew member and seeing others badly hurt.
These clashes have pushed 50,000 people from their homes since late February, with the UN warning South Sudan is "on the brink of relapse into civil war."
Peace Deal Falters With Key Points Unfinished
The fighting reveals how little has been done to carry out the peace deal signed seven years ago.
Major tasks remain unfulfilled: drafting a new constitution, setting up elections, and bringing fighters from both sides into one army.
Last September, the sides pushed elections back by two more years to December 2026 with no clear plan for meeting this fresh deadline.
The slow pace of forming joint forces has hurt the deal badly. Only seven percent of needed troops have been sent to posts, with training for more fighters held up by lack of money.
The Joint Defence Board, meant to oversee all forces, has stopped meeting often, leaving a gap in control when it’s most needed.
Sudan War Spillover Muddles South Sudan Crisis
The fighting in neighbouring Sudan has spilled into South Sudan, making matters worse.
South Sudan’s foreign minister Ramadan Mohamed Abdalla Goc said on Wednesday that “Sudanese armed groups entered the territory of South Sudan and carried out military operations,” breaking both countries’ agreement not to let each other be attacked from their territory.
These border breaches have happened in Buoth, part of Renk county, and in Maban county, both in Upper Nile state.
On 16 March, Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces caught fighters thought to be from Machar’s SPLA-IO at Buoth, inside South Sudan near Sudan’s White Nile state.
A video showed RSF troops firing at young Nuer men from South Sudan who may have been White Army members running low on supplies after taking Nasir.
The war has also hurt South Sudan’s oil income. The fighting broke the main oil pipe near Khartoum, costing South Sudan two-thirds of its money and spreading anger.
Economic pressure has pushed President Kiir toward ties with the RSF.
Broader East African Conflicts Add To Risks
The South Sudan crisis is playing out amid wider troubles across East and Central Africa.
In neighboring Tigray, renewed fighting has put Ethiopia and Eritrea on a collision course. Lt. Gen. Tsadkan Gebretensae warns that war between the two “seems inevitable” with Tigray as the main battleground.
In Somalia, President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud escaped an assassination attempt on March 18 when a roadside bomb blew up his convoy near Mogadishu, killing ten people including seven guards. The Al-Shabaab group took credit for the attack.
In Somaliland, tensions over its push for independence add to the area’s woes, with the U.S. now showing a renewed interest in its Berbera port.
Further south, the DRC also faces trouble as M23 rebels take over eastern parts of the country, backed by Rwanda.
Regional Bodies Step In With Mixed Results
The African Union and IGAD have tried to ease South Sudan’s troubles.
On 8 March, the AU Commission head voiced "deep worry" about the fighting and asked all sides to stop at once.
IGAD held an emergency summit on 12 March, asking for the freeing of those held and looking into the Nasir clash and UN helicopter attack. The group also set up a team of ministers to check on peace steps.
The African Union Peace and Security Council met on the 18th March to discuss South Sudan, with Morocco’s representative to the AU leading the talks.
But with fighting still going and new sackings like the Upper Nile governor, these peace drives have yet to bear fruit in a nascent country weary from years of strife.
Keep up with Daily Euro Times for more updates!
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