UN chief: situation in South Sudan 'darkly reminiscent' of civil wars

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that a peace agreement in South Sudan was in a shambles, telling the country's leaders to put down the weapons and put all the people of South Sudan first.

"Let's not mince words: What we are seeing is darkly reminiscent of the 2013 and 2016 civil wars, which killed 400,000 people," Guterres told reporters.

First Vice President Riek Machar was put under house arrest in the capital Juba on Wednesday, in effect voiding a 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war and brought Machar and President Salva Kiir into a fragile power-sharing government.

On Friday, the information minister accused Machar of seeking to launch a rebellion against the government.

"All the dark clouds of a perfect storm have descended upon the people of the world's newest country – and one of the poorest," said Guterres, listing a security emergency, political upheaval, "a humanitarian nightmare", a displacement and funding crisis and an economic meltdown.

"Meanwhile, ethnic and political targeting by security forces – coupled with the spread of misinformation on social media – is lighting the fuse for even worse," he added.

The U.N. Mission in South Sudan "is working around the clock to ease tensions – engaging all parties and boosting protection of civilians," Guterres said.