United States Mission to the United Nations
Ambassador Dorothy Shea
Acting U.S. Representative
New York, New York
August 18, 2025
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you, Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee, chairperson George Aggrey Owinow, and program director Murithi Mutiga, for your comprehensive briefings.
It is deeply disappointing that the transitional government of South Sudan has yet to deliver the peace and stability the people of South Sudan deserve.
Despite significant international efforts to support South Sudan’s post-conflict recovery, stabilization, and reconstruction, South Sudan’s leaders have failed to demonstrate the political will to meet their commitments under that agreement, including those related to integrating the armed forces, using public revenue transparently and appropriately, creating civic space, and renouncing violence as a tool for political competition. South Sudan’s leaders from all parties share responsibility for these failures.
Most recently, the actions of South Sudanese leadership have signaled de facto abandonment of the 2018 peace agreement on which the transitional government is based. We cannot pretend that the agreement is being implemented while First Vice President Machar is under house arrest, others from his party are in detention, and SSPDF military strikes continue against other South Sudanese. Nor should the South Sudanese people be expected to do so.
Generations of South Sudanese citizens remain trapped in a cycle of conflict, acute need, and disenfranchisement due to the lack of political will on the part of their leaders to change a system that affords them power. The most recent violence in Upper Nile State, Jonglei State, and other parts of South Sudan highlight the devastating consequences of this failure to break that cycle.
As the Secretary-General’s August 7 report highlights, aerial bombardments and ground attacks between April 1-July 15 have displaced 300,000 people, while escalating military operations across the country have resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths and destroyed critical infrastructure. Women and girls endure conflict-related sexual violence, and children are maimed, killed, or forcibly recruited into combat. The escalating crisis has forced over 132,000 South Sudanese to seek refuge in neighboring countries between April 1-July 15, further destabilizing the region and straining host nations.
Mr. President, this conflict is worsening an already dire humanitarian situation. More than 70 percent of South Sudan’s population now requires humanitarian assistance. Yet humanitarian services provided by the international community have been systematically hindered by both the most recent conflict and by decades of violence against humanitarian workers, predation, and corruption.
These unilateral actions by the transitional government clearly violate the 2018 peace agreement, undermine unity, threaten to return the country to another civil war, and deprive South Sudanese people of their homes and livelihoods, and deny the country peace and prosperity.
We therefore strongly urge all parties to immediately cease hostilities, release all unjustly detained political prisoners, and recommit to the principles of dialogue to prevent further violence.
Lastly, Mr. President, the United States reiterates our call for the transitional government to engage in good-faith dialogue with UNMISS to ensure the mission can fully implement its mandates without any hinderances or obstructions. We thank the men and women serving in UNMISS.
I thank you.
Source: MyPR International
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