Südsudan

A UN helicopter attempting to evacuate wounded South Sudanese soldiers in the north of the country was attacked on Friday, killing a crew member and injuring two others. More than two dozen members of the South Sudanese military, including an injured General, were also reportedly killed when the UN mission (UNMISS) helicopter came under fire in Nasir, Upper Nile State.

South Sudanese forces have arrested the petroleum minister and several senior military officials allied with First Vice President Riek Machar as soldiers surrounded his home in the capital, Juba. Deputy army chief, General Gabriel Duop Lam, a Machar loyalist, was held on Tuesday, while Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol was arrested on Wednesday alongside his bodyguards and family.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is deeply concerned by clashes in Nassir, Upper Nile, and persistent tensions between organized forces in Western Equatoria that have led to deaths, destruction of property and civilian displacement in both states. On 14-15 February, a series of violent exchanges took place between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and armed youth in Nassir. 

[…] Transparency International, which compiles the annual Corruption Perceptions Index, found that 47 countries out of the 180 it surveyed had their lowest score last year since it started using its current methodology for its global ranking in 2012. It said of its 2024 survey that “global corruption levels remain alarmingly high, with efforts to reduce them faltering.”

As South Sudan enters its extended transitional period this month, the UN’s top envoy to the country has warned that the clock is ticking to accomplish the commitments under a key 2018 peace accord, ahead of a new deadline set for February 2027.

The general elections, initially scheduled for December 2024, have been postponed once again, this time to December 2026. While this extension may seem to provide sufficient time for thorough preparations, two years is, in fact, a very short period to establish the mechanisms and structures needed to minimize election violence and resolve potential conflicts. This is particularly true given the slow progress made in recent years.

South Sudanese authorities have suspended access to social media platforms for a minimum of 30 days after videos depicting the alleged killings of South Sudanese nationals in Sudan's El Gezira state triggered riots and deadly revenge attacks.

Over one million people have arrived in South Sudan, having fled the conflict in Sudan, setting a new record in the ongoing humanitarian and displacement crisis ignited by nearly two years of fighting. … The South Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2025 underscores the increasing pressures on humanitarian organizations as displacement continues to escalate, planning for 337,000 new arrivals in 2025.   

South Sudanese police reported on Monday that 16 Sudanese nationals were killed in unrest last week sparked by allegations of the killing of South Sudanese people in Sudan’s Al Jazirah state.

South Sudan announced early this week its plan to produce at least 90,000 barrels of crude oil per day as the country resumes normal production. This comes after oil supply to international markets were cut off last February because of the ongoing conflict in Sudan.