Germany has decided to temporarily close its embassy in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, amid fears of renewed civil war, as announced by Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock. She accused South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar of “plunging the country into a spiral of violence.”
The German government made the decision to temporarily close its embassy in South Sudan due to escalating violence in the country. On Saturday, March 22, 2025, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock wrote on the social media platform Bluesky: “After years of fragile peace, South Sudan is once again on the brink of civil war”24. She added that based on this, her ministry’s crisis management team decided to close the German embassy in the capital Juba for the time being, emphasizing that the safety of staff is the top priority.
Baerbock also warned on X (formerly Twitter): “After years of fragile peace, South Sudan is returning to the brink of civil war. We decided this week to temporarily close our embassy in Juba due to the current situation. The safety of our colleagues is the top priority”24. She accused South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir and his deputy Riek Machar of “plunging this country into a spiral of violence”24. She added, “They bear responsibility for ending the senseless violence and implementing the peace agreement”.
On Tuesday, the embassies of Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union mission offered to mediate to “establish” peace in South Sudan. For years, the German Foreign Ministry has advised against travel to South Sudan.
Mutual accusations between President Kiir and his deputy Machar
South Sudan, with a population of about 11 million, experienced a severe civil war after gaining independence from Sudan in 2011. President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his rival Riek Machar formed a joint transitional government in 2020, which is now threatened with collapse1. On the border with Ethiopia, a militia from the Nuer tribe, to which Vice President Machar also belongs, has been fighting against government soldiers for weeks. The government has also bombed civilian targets. UN helicopters came under fire during a rescue operation. Dozens of people have been killed in the clashes. The army accuses Machar’s party of fueling the conflict, while Machar accuses President Kiir of wanting to deprive his supporters of power1.
Although the battles are taking place more than 1,300 kilometers from the capital, they threaten to spread to other parts of the country. The warring parties in neighboring Sudan also threaten to intervene. Baerbock wrote: “President Kiir and Vice President Machar are pushing the country into a spiral of violence. They bear responsibility for stopping the unjustified violence and finally implementing the peace agreement”. German diplomats, along with representatives from Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, Britain, the United States, and the European Union, had offered to mediate between Kiir and Machar just a few days ago
