Germany Closes Its Embassy in Juba South Sudan as Conflicts Intensifies

Germany announced the temporary closure of his embassy in Juba, South SudanDue to the climbing of violence that pushed the country on the verge of civil war. German Minister for Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock said the decision was made by the crisis team of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, prioritizing the security of the Embassy staff in the midst of a deterioration security situation. This decision reflects an increasing international concern concerning the intensification of the conflict between the forces faithful to the president Salva Kiir and a militia linked to the vice-president Riek Machar, in particular near the Ethiopian border in the state of the superior.

This violence, involving government attacks on civil zones and attacks on UN helicopters, threatens to unravel the 2018 fragile peace agreement which ended a five -year civil war, which killed more than 400,000 people. The closure of Germany highlights the severity of the crisis, the United Nations reporting at least 50,000 displaced and fears of wider regional destabilization while South Sudan is full of large -scale conflicts. THE The United Nations was actively involved in peace efforts in South Sudan, in particular in response to the escalation of violence which prompted Germany to close its embassy in Juba on March 22, 2025.

THE United Nations Mission in South Sudan (Unsiss)Created in 2011, remains the cornerstone of United Nations peace efforts in the country. Its mandate, renewed on April 29, 2024, via Security Council resolution 2729extends until April 30, 2025 and focuses out of four. A miss maintains more than 17,000 peacekeepers to protect civilians from violence, in particular as clashes between forces faithful to the president Salva Kiir and vice-president Riek Machar’s Militia intensifies. The mission operates protection sites that welcomed displaced populations, although these are tense by the recent increase in fighting.

A Miss facilitates the safe conditions for the delivery of aid, essentially because the UN brings back 50,000 people newly moved due to the latest violence close to the state of the upper Nile. However, attacks on UN helicopters and restrictions on peace movements have hampered these efforts. The mission supports the 2018 revitalized peace agreement, which was aimed at ending the civil war but vacillating. An Missing helps electoral preparations for the postponed elections in December 2026, providing technical advice and education for voters, although progress is slow due to political distrust and funding shortages.

A misship documents violations, such as recent government bombings in civil zones, to hold responsible parties and put pressure for international law. Nicholas HaysomSpecial representative of the Secretary General and Chief of UNCIS “Posed on the edge of the relapse in the civil war.” He underlined the need for urgent collective action to prevent a new escalation. The United Nations Security Council urged the leaders of South Sudan to adhere to the benchmarks of the peace agreement, including the unification of the armed forces and the drafting of a permanent constitution. On February 5, 2025, Haysom told the Council that the prolonged transition period (until February 2027) should not be “as usual”, pressing accelerated reforms.

The United Nations Bureau for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) leads the plan of humanitarian needs and responses of 2025, targeting 5.4 million people with $ 1.7 billion in aid. This is vital because more than 900,000 Sudanese refugees have fled to South Sudan since 2023, aggravating the crisis. Ungras works with the African Union (AU) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Support initiatives such as the TuMaini mediation process of Kenya, despite its setbacks after the People’s Movement of the Liberation of Sudan, in opposition, was withdrawn in July 2024. The United Nations Human Rights Commission in South Sudan, in a report on March 8, 2025, condemned the leaders for fueling chaos.

The UN faces significant obstacles: the hostilities in progress limit access, the financing of the $ 1.7 billion plan is uncertain, and the political will among the South Sudanese leaders remains low. The attack on a United Nations plane in the Haut-Nile, labeled a war crime by the Commission, illustrates the risks for peacekeepers. Despite this, the UN continues to position itself as a neutral broker, pleading for a ceasefire and inclusive talks to stabilize the region. United Nations peace efforts in South Sudan on March 23, 2025, center on the multifaceted mandate of Unsiss, diplomatic pressure and humanitarian support, all aimed at preventing large -scale civil war in the midst of the aggravation of the conflict that led to the closure of the German Embassy.