Südsudan

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has removed the country's military chief and reinstated his predecessor whom Kiir had sacked three months earlier, state-run television announced. The moves add to relentless turnover within the ranks of South Sudan's military and government as Kiir contends with armed conflict and speculation within the country about his eventual succession.

An international ceasefire monitor says parties to South Sudan ‘s faltering peace agreement have recruited new fighters and abducted children to participate in a conflict that observers have warned could widen again into civil war.

A faction of the South Sudan holdout opposition group has welcomed a recent announcement by the transitional government that it is considering resuming the Tumaini Initiative peace talks, which the government had previously declared dead.

Machar and seven others who have been charged alongside him, including Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol, were seen sitting inside a barred cage in the court on Monday during a live broadcast on national television. … Earlier this month, a decree read on state radio said Kiir suspended the first vice president due to charges stemming from his alleged involvement in attacks by the White Army against federal forces in March.

In South Sudan, “systemic government corruption” and “brazen predation” on the part of political elites have created a human rights crisis that must be urgently addressed, the UN Commission on Human Rights in the country said in a new report issued on Tuesday. 

Fears that South Sudan - the world's youngest nation - could plunge into a new civil war have intensified after the party of suspended Vice-President Riek Machar called for "regime change". The call came after Machar - currently under house arrest - was charged with murder, treason and crimes against humanity.

The mandate renewal process raised important questions about the future of United States (US) policy on UNMISS and UN peace operations in general. The US’ role in all UN peace operations over the decades, particularly in South Sudan, has been significant.

Tensions are rising in South Sudan as the president manoeuvres to anoint an apparent successor and dissolves the bargain that ended the post-independence civil war. African leaders with the president’s ear should work together to ward off a devastating new upheaval in the world’s youngest country.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has raised concerns over the plight of refugees and returnees as it grapples with an influx amid funding shortfalls. Speaking in an exclusive interview with Radio Tamazuj in Juba, Marie-Helene Verney, UNHCR Country Representative in South Sudan, said the agency is struggling to provide basic needs, including health and education, to the over 550,000 refugees from Sudan due to a funding shortage that has resulted in food ration cuts.  

Escalating violence, political deadlock and a deepening humanitarian crisis puts South Sudan “at a turning point”, the Security Council heard today, as several UN and regional officials urged an end to hostilities, protection of civilians, and a renewed commitment to the Revitalized Peace Agreement.