This Week in Peace #127: May 15

This week, US punishes South Sudan officials who have “undermines peace.” M23 rebels withdraw from areas of eastern DRC. The heavy death toll of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s conflict. 

US Punishes South Sudan Officials Who Have “Undermined Peace”

The United States is punishing South Sudanese officials who they say have “undermined peace” in the country with visa restrictions. A statement by State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott read, “These individuals have undermined peace in South Sudan, including by impeding the ceasefire agreement and engaging in corruption that has fueled the conflict.”

The statement noted that investigations have found that corrupt officials and entities, including Crawford Capital, Ltd., have allegedly looted state funds and stolen foreign assistance meant for civilians, Anadolu Ajansı reported.

In a statement issued on May 11, Nick Checker, the senior bureau official leading the Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs said it was “farcical to claim that inter-party dialogue is taking place while First Vice President Machar, the head of the second largest party to the 2018 peace agreement, is under arrest and on trial.” Checker added that South Sudanese leaders had for too long made insincere promises of reform to get international support while obstructing lifesaving aid.

The US isn’t the only country putting pressure on South Sudan’s officials. Last week on World Press Freedom Day 2026, the Embassy of Canada in South Sudan held a dialogue calling for media freedom and peace in South Sudan. Joanne Minns, Canada’s Ambassador to South Sudan, said that accurate and independent information is needed to build trust between citizens and institutions, and that a free press directly aids peacebuilding. 

M23 Rebels Withdraw from Areas of Eastern DRC

M23 rebels withdrew from several areas of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on May 11 amidst pressure from the US to respect the ceasefire. Members of the armed group withdrew from Kabunambo, around 35 kilometers north of Uvira, to Luvungi, around 30 kilometers further north towards ​the provincial capital Bukavu.

The withdrawal comes two weeks after the U.S. imposed sanctions on former president Joseph Kabila over ​alleged links to M23. Kabila denies the allegations. 

On May 7, M23 political coordinator Corneille Nangaa said in a letter to ​U.S. Secretary of ​State Marco Rubio that the US was not a credible mediator due to its minerals partnership deal with Kinshasa last year.

Congolese families who fled Burundi due to fighting last year have now begun to return to their homes. 

The Heavy Death Toll of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s Conflict

The heavy death toll of Afghanistan and Pakistan’s conflict is coming to light. On May 12, the UN reported that at least 372 Afghan civilians, including an NGO worker, were killed in conflict between government forces and Pakistan in the first three months of the year. Pakistan wrote a response to the report saying that 130 Pakistani civilians and security personnel were killed since the beginning of this year.

Pakistan accuses the Taliban in Afghanistan of harboring militants who attack Pakistan. Meanwhile, Afghan officials claim that that Pakistan harbours hostile groups and does not respect its sovereignty, RTL Today reports.The UN’s office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs in Afghanistan posted on X on April 7 that the conflict had displaced 94,000 people.

Keywords: South Sudan, DRC, Congo, DR Congo, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Afghan, Pakistani, peace, conflict, conflict resolution, ceasefire, death toll, M23, rebels, visa restrictions