Author: Koang Pal Chang | Published: 16 hours ago

— U.S. Representative Rich McCormick (R-GA-07)

A member of the United States Congress has called on the State Department to take a more assertive role in resolving the ongoing political, military, and humanitarian crises in South Sudan, citing concern over billions in taxpayer aid and persistent conflict.

In a letter addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio dated August 25, 2026, Representative Rich McCormick (R-GA) urged the U.S. government to leverage its diplomatic channels to bring key political figures, including President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar, into a binding democratic settlement.

McCormick highlighted that U.S. involvement in South Sudan dates back to the passage of the 2002 Sudan Peace Act, which laid the foundation for the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement and South Sudan’s ultimate independence in 2011. Since independence, the U.S. has invested heavily in the country’s stabilization.

“Since 2011, the American taxpayer has provided more than $9.5 billion to assist South Sudan in maintaining peace and stability,” Representative McCormick wrote. “As repeatedly noted by the Department of State and U.S. Mission to the United Nations (U.N.), the transitional government’s actions such as deadly military offensives, humanitarian blockades, and obstruction of the UN Mission to South Sudan demonstrate a concerning disinterest in peace and in the welfare of South Sudan’s population.”

Drawing on his military background as a Marine and former Navy physician, McCormick emphasized that stability in the region remains critical to U.S. national security. He urged the State Department to use all diplomatic leverage to secure commitments from both primary signatories of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) while involving broader political stakeholders.

The lawmaker also commended Special Envoy Massad Boulos and the administration’s broader diplomatic initiatives, expressing confidence that active U.S. intervention could foster lasting stability across South Sudan and the wider region.