South Sudan’s Catholic bishops warn of full-scale war, urging leaders to stop fighting, honor peace deal, and listen to citizens’ cry for peace.
Newsroom (30/01/2026 Gaudium Press ) As fears of renewed full-scale war grip South Sudan, the country’s Catholic bishops have issued a powerful appeal for restraint, dialogue, and unity, warning that rising violence risks undoing years of fragile peace efforts.
Cardinal Stephen Ameyu Martin Mulla of Juba, president of the Sudan and South Sudan Catholic Bishops’ Conference, said the security and humanitarian situation has deteriorated sharply in recent weeks. He pointed to reports of fresh clashes between government forces, the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition, and other militias in Jonglei and Eastern Equatoria states.
In a January 27 statement titled “Stop war and embrace dialogue,” Cardinal Mulla urged leaders of South Sudan’s Unity Government and non-signatories to the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement to lay down their arms. “Listen to one another and to the people you claim to fight for their sake,” he said. “The citizens are not properties; they are human beings, and it will be good to know their pains and hunger for peace.”
Quoting the late Pope Francis’ plea to the people of South Sudan for “no more war, no more bloodshed,” the cardinal added: “We are coming again with urgency to reiterate our appeal for dialogue, unity, peace, and reconciliation.”
War’s painful legacy
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, won independence from Sudan in 2011 but soon descended into civil war in 2013. The conflict left nearly 400,000 people dead and forced millions from their homes.
A breakthrough came in 2018 when rival factions signed the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan in Addis Ababa, paving the way for a transitional government. Pope Francis famously knelt and kissed the feet of South Sudan’s political leaders during a 2019 Vatican retreat, urging them to embrace peace.
Yet much of the agreement — including commitments on security reforms, elections, and power-sharing — remains unfulfilled.
Agreement in jeopardy
The bishops say they are alarmed by signs the pact is being sidelined. “We are surprised by the total disregard for the full implementation of the peace agreement,” Cardinal Mulla said. “The growing discord within the Unity Government and attacks between the warring parties are spreading rapidly, causing displacement, hunger, and inhuman conditions.”
The return of fighting comes amid a broader humanitarian crisis. Repeated floods, economic collapse, and persistent violence have left an estimated 10 million people in need of urgent assistance.
The Church also condemned hate speech and incitement, particularly after a senior army general reportedly called for indiscriminate attacks on civilians in Jonglei. “Directing forces to ‘spare no lives’ is a direct call to genocide,” the cardinal warned, urging soldiers to resist orders that could pit communities against one another.
Churches warn of mobilization
Father John Gbemboyo Joseph Mbikoyezu, pastoral and social communications coordinator of the bishops’ conference, told OSV News that the latest mobilizations signal a dangerous slide toward war. “The warring parties are mobilizing their affiliates to defend what they believe is theirs,” he said. “They are disregarding the economic challenges facing the country.”
Churches have also rejected a government plan to amend the peace deal, warning that unilateral changes could undermine its spirit and fragile gains.
“Peace and stability cannot be built through selective implementation or actions taken outside the collective will of the signatories,” said Reverend Tut Kony Nyang, general secretary of the South Sudan Council of Churches, which includes Catholic, Protestant, and independent denominations.
Call for moral leadership
Emphasizing that the 2018 pact remains the most credible path to lasting peace, Rev. Nyang urged all parties to act with restraint and responsibility. “The prolonged suffering of citizens demands leadership committed to peace, stability, and accountability,” he said.
For South Sudan’s bishops, the message remains clear: only through honest dialogue and full implementation of the peace agreement can the nation avert another catastrophic war and finally allow its people to live in dignity and freedom.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from OSV News
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