South Sudan Accused of Using Incendiary Weapons to Kill Nearly 60 Civilians: Human Rights Watch

NAIROBI, 10 April 2025 (BSS/AFP) – Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused South Sudanese government forces of deploying improvised incendiary weapons in aerial attacks that killed nearly 60 civilians, including children, in the conflict-torn Upper Nile State last month.

The rights group reported that between 16 and 21 March, government aircraft dropped improvised incendiary devices in multiple counties—Nasir, Longechuk, and Ulang—resulting in horrific injuries and deaths. HRW has called on the United Nations to urgently pressure Juba to cease these unlawful assaults and to consider deploying peacekeeping forces to the affected regions.

📍 Incident Summary: Fatalities by Region

Total Confirmed Fatalities: At least 58
Critically Injured: 7 (as of 30 March)

Eyewitness accounts gathered by HRW paint a chilling picture of the aftermath. In Kuich, multiple witnesses described a propeller-driven aircraft dropping barrels filled with fire-producing substances. Victims were found with extensive burns, and some suffered injuries so severe that, as one witness put it, “even their teeth were burned.”

🇸🇸 A Fragile Peace at Risk

These attacks come amid rising tensions between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those aligned with First Vice President Riek Machar, once again endangering the 2018 peace accord that ended a devastating five-year civil war responsible for nearly 400,000 deaths and displacing millions.

Analysts fear that renewed hostilities—especially targeting civilian populations—could lead to a broader relapse into conflict. The alleged involvement of the White Army, an informal militia composed largely of young men from Machar’s Nuer ethnic group, has further inflamed the situation.

🕊️ International Appeals and Government Response

Human Rights Watch strongly condemned the attacks, stating:

“The government’s use of these weapons in populated areas may amount to war crimes.”

They urged the United Nations Security Council to intervene diplomatically and to reinforce peacekeeping efforts in South Sudan.

When previously questioned about air strikes, Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth described the incidents as “security operations.” He remarked bluntly:

“If you as a civilian happen to be there… then there is nothing we can do.”

The government has yet to formally respond to these latest allegations.

🔍 Contextual Background

South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation since gaining independence in 2011, has been plagued by political rivalry, ethnic violence, and humanitarian crises. The 2013–2018 civil war displaced over 4 million people and fractured the nation's social and economic fabric.

The current peace deal remains tenuous, with intermittent clashes, poor implementation of reforms, and deep-seated mistrust between rival factions.