While there is no official death toll, at least five soldiers died on Thursday and 272 people, including at least 33 civilians, were killed on Friday. Some claims estimate that more than 300 people were killed during the first five days of violence. The killings stopped on Saturday, when South Sudan celebrated its fifth anniversary of independence from Sudan, but flared back up on Sunday and Monday.

Witnesses reported heavy artillery fire at the UN base in Juba, helicopter gunships in the sky, and tanks roving the streets. Some reported soldiers in uniform looting in Jebel Market, the largest market in the city. Approximately 1,000 internally displaced people have fled to another protected location due to fighting near the UNMISS compound. Chaos continues as people attempt to piece together who started and who escalated the violence, what the actual death toll is, and what can be done to bring peace.

Prior to this bout of violence, there had been relative calm in South Sudan for the past several months. The August 2015 peace agreement called for a ceasefire and the formation of a transitional government, and barred “actions that may impede or delay the provision of humanitarian assistance, or protection to civilians, and restrict free movement of people.”

However, the renewed violence has created concerns of a return to the all-out civil war that has plagued South Sudan for the better part of its short history as an independent country.   

Concerns of violence are deeply rooted in South Sudan’s conflict-ridden history. In December 2013, President Salva Kiir accused Vice President Riek Machar of plotting a coup, to which  Machar responded by forming his own oppositional army. This led to violence that spread across the country outward from Juba. While the fighting is largely based on tensions between political elites, Kiir has used ethnic affiliation to mobilize the Dinka ethnic group. Similarly, Machar has used his ethnic identity to mobilize the Nuer.

Today, many speculate that President Kiir and Vice President Machar have lost control of their troops, leaving the future of South Sudan uncertain.

The international community is taking the threats seriously, although no foreign entity has taken action to stop the violence. The United States is evacuating non-emergency staff from its embassy in South Sudan and the State Department has stated that the security situation in Juba has faced a “sudden and serious deterioration.” As of today, the U.S. has also deployed 40 Marine Corps troops to protect the U.S. Embassy in Juba. Japan has also dispatched military aircraft to evacuate Japanese nationals.

According to a statement by the Spokesman for the Secretary-General on South Sudan, Ban Ki-moon “calls on all fighting forces to immediately suspend the hostilities, provide access to the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and cooperate with humanitarian partners to facilitate the delivery of assistance,” and “urges all parties to agree to dialogue to resolve their political disputes.”

After a closed-door meeting in New York on Sunday, the United Nations Security Council called on Kiir and Machar to control their respective forces, prevent the spread of violence, and genuinely commit themselves to the implementation of the ceasefire and peace agreement.

Monday evening, the clashes ceased after leadership from both sides called for an end to the fighting. The tenuous ceasefire seems to be holding, although future security and stability in South Sudan is far from guaranteed.  

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Francesca Freeman is a STAND alumna, and served as STAND’s National Student Director for the 2015-2016 school year. Francesca holds a B.A. from the University of Chicago, and is a Program Assistant at the Social Science Research Council. You can follow Francesca on twitter at @francescafree16.

The humanitarian situation in Syria has been deteriorating rapidly. The United Nations is unable to provide food for about one million people and rain and cold are further deteriorating living conditions, leading to a riot in a refugee camp in Jordan on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Palestinian factions fighting in support of the Syrian regime against rebel forces in the Yarmouk district south of Damascus called for a cease-fire on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the Assad regime freed 2,130 captives to rebels in exchange for 48 Iranian prisoners. The rebels claim that this proves Assad is an Iranian puppet. The rebels claim the Iranian prisoners are Iranian Revolutionary Guards sent to assist the Assad regime, while the Iranian government insists that they were in Syria for a private visit.

Burma

Fighting in Burma’s northern Kachin State between government forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has continued following government air strikes on Kachin-controlled areas. Originally denying any attacks, the Myanmar government later acknowledged them, claiming they were attempting to recapture supply convoys that were taken by Kachin rebels in late December. Government forces were sending supplies to a base situated near KIA headquarters in the town of Laiza, triggering seizure by KIA forces. New to this conflict, the use of airstrikes have been reported almost every day (here and here) since December 28, with both ground and air strikes becoming increasingly intense around the KIA headquarters at Laiza. An estimated 100,000 people have been displaced since fighting began following the break of a 17-year ceasefire during the summer of 2011. Click here to see a video report from Al Jazeera outlining the recent violence.

In other news, Indonesia is set to give $1 million towards humanitarian assistance for the Rohingya in Burma’s Rakhine State following recent communal violence. Also, Coca-Cola recently announced it will build its first factory in Burma.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

On Tuesday, the M23 rebels declared a unilateral ceasefire and are awaiting a similar declaration by the DRC government. This week, dialogue will continue in Kampala, reviewing the March 23, 2009 agreement, security issues, social, economic, and political matters, and mechanisms for implementing various resolutions. It is unclear whether or not the DRC government will sign on, and, to complicate matters, the Ugandan Independent reported today that two journalists were recently detained and beaten by security forces. The immediate reasons have not been uncovered, although the radio station targeted has in the past issued reports critical of the Congolese military.

Also on Tuesday, reports surfaced that the UN is planning the first deployment of drones in peacekeeping missions. The Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) reportedly asked the UN Security Council to support the use of three unarmed surveillance drones for its operation in the DRC, where they would monitor clashes between the DRC army and M23 rebels. France, the US, and Britain have supported this plan, though Russia, China, and Rwanda have warned about the financial and legal implications and are concerned that drone use may aid western countries’ intelligence gathering.

A Neutral International Force in eastern DRC may soon be deployed. It may either be an attachment to MONUSCO or an independent mission of the African Union (AU), the International Conference (ICGLR) on the Great Lakes Region, and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Talks will continue at the AU ministerial meeting in Addis Ababa this week; for more information, see BDLive’s article here.