Geneva [Switzerland], February 27 (ANI): A United Nations investigative body has issued a stern warning that South Sudan is on the brink of a 'return to full-scale war.'

The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS) emphasised that the world's youngest nation must immediately address entrenched impunity and widespread abuses to prevent further escalation.

Released during a Human Rights Council session, the findings paint a grim picture of civilians enduring killings, 'systematic' sexual violence, and forced displacement amid an intensifying humanitarian disaster.

The report highlights that 'escalating atrocity risks' and the breakdown of political protections have made 'urgent preventive action imperative.' It calls for international and regional stakeholders to apply diplomatic pressure and sanctions while strictly enforcing the UN arms embargo.

According to Al Jazeera, the commission warned that preventing 'institutional collapse' and the destruction of the country's 'fragile transition' requires a coordinated global re-engagement to stop further mass atrocities.

Investigators attributed the rising instability to the actions of political and military elites who have eroded power-sharing agreements.

Al Jazeera reports that the arrest and prosecution of First Vice President Riek Machar for murder and treason has severely undermined the 'core power-sharing guarantees' of the 2018 peace deal. Machar, an ethnic Nuer, was suspended following clashes in Nasir, a move that has triggered political turmoil and armed conflict on a magnitude not seen in a decade.

The crisis originally stems from the 2013 civil war, which began when President Salva Kiir, from the Dinka ethnic group, accused Machar of a coup attempt.

The current investigation noted a 'dangerous shift in tactics,' including aerial bombardments of civilian areas. Al Jazeera points out that the involvement of Ugandan forces has 'materially strengthened' the government's military position, raising serious concerns regarding violations of the UN arms embargo, particularly as joint air strikes have 'predominantly affected [ethnic] Nuer communities.'

Sexual violence remains a 'defining and persistent feature' of the ongoing conflict. The commission found that rape has been utilised as a 'strategic instrument of conflict' to fracture social cohesion and terrorise populations.

Al Jazeera notes that while the 2018 peace deal previously ended a war that claimed 400,000 lives, the recent seizure of government outposts in Jonglei state by opposition forces loyal to the SPLM/IO has reignited fears of a total collapse.

The humanitarian impact is staggering, with the UN reporting that 280,000 people have been displaced since December. UNICEF has further warned that over 450,000 children are facing acute malnutrition.

Al Jazeera reports that nearly 10 million people are in need of life-saving aid, yet humanitarian efforts are being crippled by attacks and the deliberate blocking of assistance.

The CHRSS reported that civilians continue to bear the 'overwhelming human brunt' of a crisis where displacement has surged by nearly 40 per cent. (ANI)