U.S. denounces ‘farcical’ peace efforts while Machar is detained

JUBA — The United States has characterized South Sudan’s political transition as “farcical,” warning that continued support is contingent upon the release of First Vice President Riek Machar and an end to his ongoing criminal trial.

In a blunt admonition issued Thursday, the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs asserted that meaningful dialogue remains implausible while the leader of the country’s primary opposition group is subjected to a state-led prosecution.

The rebuke comes as the government accelerates preparations for general elections currently slated for December 2026, despite a lacks of consensus on key electoral benchmarks.

“It is farcical to say that such dialogue is taking place while the head of the second largest party to the agreement, First Vice President Machar, is under arrest and on trial,” the State Department’s bureau stated. “The transitional government must take urgent action if it wishes to maintain United States support.”

The statement further accused the Juba administration of a systemic failure to uphold the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement, citing a pervasive lack of transparency and the misappropriation of international aid.

“The transitional government has repeatedly failed to live up to its commitments to international partners and its responsibilities to support its people. It must immediately address its history of abuse, exploitation, and theft of United States foreign assistance, and its lack of transparency and proper governance.”

The diplomatic tension is underscored by a deepening rift within the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO). While Machar remains under house arrest facing charges of treason and murder, President Salva Kiir’s administration has moved to recognize a breakaway faction led by Peacebuilding Minister Stephen Par Kuol.

In recent high-level meetings convened in Juba to discuss the transition, Machar’s mainstream SPLM-IO was pointedly excluded.

The government has instead engaged with Kuol’s faction, granting it “full rights” to nominate members to peace mechanisms—a move Machar’s loyalists have dismissed as an illegitimate “coup” against their leadership.

This exclusion has triggered a mass exodus of Machar’s core allies. His deputy and several high-ranking officials have fled the capital, operating from outside the government and officially disowning the Par Kuol-led group.

The political impasse has translated into renewed bloodshed in the periphery. Fighting resumed on December 29 between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) and forces loyal to Machar, with Jonglei state becoming a primary flashpoint.

According to humanitarian reports, the conflict has displaced at least 280,000 people in Jonglei alone as front lines shift across northern counties.

The U.S. emphasized that the risk of a return to full-scale civil war is high unless the government returns to a genuine, inclusive dialogue among all original signatories of the 2018 accord.

“The transitional government must take urgent action to uphold peace and reduce the risk of civil war by immediately returning to dialogue among the parties to the 2018 agreement,” the statement concluded.