UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed horror at mounting reports of grave violations in South Sudan’s escalating conflict, including gruesome civilian killings, the destruction and poisoning of community water sources, and mass displacement.

He warned that some acts may constitute war crimes and called for an immediate ceasefire to avert a return to full-scale civil war.

In a statement released on Tuesday, March 10, 2026, Türk highlighted accounts documented by the UN Human Rights Office, where civilians reported that the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF) had reportedly destroyed or intentionally contaminated key water sources.

Specifically, civilians told the office that approximately 99 wells were destroyed or poisoned with unidentified substances during government airstrikes, severely limiting access to safe drinking water in affected communities.

The violations were reported across multiple regions:

• Abiemnom locality in the Ruweng Administrative Area (north), where over 160 civilians were killed in the past 17 days, including 139 on March 1 by Bul Nuer fighters.
• Pankor village, Ayod County, Jonglei State (east), where on February 21, government forces allegedly killed 21 civilians (including 15 women and three girls) after luring them with promises of food aid.
• Thiam village, Wau Payam, Western Bahr al Ghazal State (northwest), where four civilians (an elderly man, a woman, a boy, and a girl) were beheaded.
• Akobo town and surrounding areas in Jonglei State, where thousands fled following an SSPDF evacuation order on March 6, amid clashes with SPLA-IO forces.

Türk noted that hostilities between the SSPDF and opposition forces have intensified since January, leading to over 280,000 people displaced across Jonglei, Lakes, and Upper Nile States since late December.

Civilians face daily killings, injuries, and forced displacement, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis.

The UN rights chief called for prompt, impartial investigations into all violations, with accountability for perpetrators—including through command responsibility.

He stressed the urgent need for humanitarian access without obstruction and an end to attacks on civilians and civilian objects.

“There must be a ceasefire as promptly as possible, to save lives and turn this conflict in the direction of a negotiated solution,” Türk stated.

“Both parties must take prompt and meaningful steps, with the support of the international community, to rescue the fledgling peace agreement. South Sudan must be pulled back from the brink of all-out civil war.”

The allegations come amid ongoing fighting in Jonglei and other regions, threatening the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

No immediate response or denial from the SSPDF or government was reported in connection with the water poisoning claims.

The UN’s call for dialogue and international engagement underscores growing fears that continued violence could derail the fragile transition and plunge the country into renewed widespread conflict.