The World Communion of Reformed Churches (WCRC) expresses profound alarm and deep sorrow over the rapidly deteriorating situation in South Sudan. As violence escalates between government forces and opposition groups, we witness with grave concern the nation’s perilous slide back toward the full-blown civil war that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced millions.

Recent weeks have seen a dramatic intensification of hostilities. We are horrified by the reported 3 March attack in Abiemnom county near the Sudan border, which left at least 169 people dead—including women and children—and forced over a thousand civilians to seek shelter at a UN base. Simultaneously, humanitarian operations are under direct assault: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports that 26 of its staff are missing, while its hospitals have been bombed, burned, and looted forcing the suspension of life-saving medical activities.

This violence is not spontaneous. It follows the suspension and house arrest of First Vice-President Riek Machar and the collapse of key pillars of the 2018 peace agreement. The government’s military offensive in opposition strongholds, which has already displaced an estimated 280,000 people since December, threatens to unravel the fragile unity government and plunge the world’s youngest nation back into ethnically charged civil war.

As people of faith rooted in the Reformed tradition, we believe in the sacredness of every human life and the imperative of justice. We echo the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights’ urgent call for action to preserve the peace agreement and prevent catastrophe.

The WCRC  Stands in solidarity with the suffering people of South Sudan, especially the 280,000 newly displaced and the countless others facing hunger and insecurity. We Appeal to our member churches worldwide to raise their voices in prayer and advocacy, urging their governments to support peace-building efforts and provide robust humanitarian assistance to all those affected by this escalating crisis.

We are reminded that peace is not merely the absence of war, but the presence of justice, reconciliation, and the conditions for human flourishing. May the international community act with urgency and moral clarity before South Sudan is consumed once more by the flames of war.