By Yiep Joseph and Philip Buda
Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) has called for an urgent investigation into reported airstrikes on the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in Old Fangak, Jonglei State.
The call follows a report by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) on Saturday stating that one of its health facilities had been bombed. MSF consistently calls on parties to the conflict to respect health facilities.
In response, RJMEC urged the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangement Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) to investigate the incident urgently.
In a statement, the commission noted that the aerial assault, which reportedly resulted in civilian casualties, represents a setback and a gross violation of the revitalized peace agreement.
“RJMEC, therefore, urges the [CTSAMVM] to expeditiously and thoroughly investigate the incident,” the statement read.
RJMEC further appealed to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to provide logistical support to CTSAMVM to facilitate an effective and efficient investigation.
This incident occurs amid a deteriorating security and political situation highlighted in RJMEC’s recent quarterly report.
The report, covering the first quarter of 2025 (January – March) and prepared under Article 7.9 of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), documented “repeated violations.”
“During the quarter, implementation of the Agreement ground to a halt, as the Parties engaged in repeated violations of the R-ARCSS and the political and security environment markedly worsened,” the report noted.
“In scenes not seen since the signing of the R-ARCSS over six years ago, armed conflict and violence erupted across the country, several high-ranking opposition members and Parliamentarians were detained and imprisoned, and the First Vice President Dr Riek Machar Teny was put under house arrest,” the report stated.
“In addition, ministerial positions at the state and national levels and those within the Presidency were reshuffled, and portfolios within some Agreement institutions and mechanisms were abandoned,” it added.
According to the Commission, civilians, including women and children, have suffered serious human rights and humanitarian law violations, including death, injury, and displacement due to military operations and connected armed clashes in some parts of the country.
“However, the Commission reiterates that the R-ARCSS remains the most viable framework to steer South Sudan towards the path of stability and prosperity,” the report said, adding, “the current political and security situation is fragile and highly volatile, posing a serious threat to the survivability of the R-ARCSS.”
“This is due to various factors, including several weeks of armed violent clashes between forces of the SSPDF and SPLM/A-IO, both parties to the Revitalised Peace Agreement. These clashes are now spreading to several areas across the country, including reported attacks on some cantonment sites and training centres such as Luri, Rajaf, and Panyume, among others,” it added.
The Commission also stated that peace implementation is threatened by the arrest and continuous detention of some senior SPLM/A-IO political and military leaders who are integral parts of the R-ARCSS and critical for its full implementation.