South Sudan

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir on Wednesday night sacked three key ministers and senior security officials. No reasons were given … . 

[…] As part of the initial support package, the two sides agreed that three members of the National Elections Commission would travel to Russia for training.

Conflict and displacement are intensifying South Sudan’s hunger crisis, with 7.8 million people facing high levels of acute food insecurity while 2.2 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition, according to a joint statement on Tuesday from UN agencies. 

A new quarterly report by the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) shows that 133 alleged violations of the permanent ceasefire were documented between January and March, largely involving clashes between government forces and opposition fighters. … Beyond the security situation, the report highlights slow progress in implementing the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, with key governance and reform provisions largely stalled.

The United Nations presence in South Sudan is both critical and constrained, the Security Council heard today, as speakers offered their visions for how the Organization’s peacekeeping mission should operate amid steep financial and operational challenges in the world’s youngest, yet highly fragile, nation. … In today’s discussion, the Council considered where the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) fits into this reality ahead of its decision on whether to renew its mandate, which is set to expire on 30 April.

This week, the United Nations Security Council will debate the renewal of the UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) as civilians throughout the country are at risk of atrocities and need greater protection. … The mandate renewal should be a done deal, but it is not.

South Sudan’s military and opposition forces are blocking humanitarian access and unjustifiably ordering civilians to evacuate populated areas, Human Rights Watch said today. Since late 2025, the military has issued multiple evacuation orders, at least three of them sweeping in nature and the opposition forces at least three, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee. 

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres announced today the appointment of Anita Kiki Gbeho of Ghana as his new Special Representative for South Sudan and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Ms. Gbeho will succeed the late Nicholas Haysom of South Africa, to whom the Secretary-General is profoundly grateful for his dedication, effective leadership of UNMISS and distinguished service that he rendered to the United Nations in the cause of peace over the course of more than two decades.

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) will close its temporary operating base in Akobo, Jonglei State, in the coming weeks, a UN official said Wednesday. Francesca Mold, UNMISS chief of communications and public information, told Radio Tamazuj that the base’s closure, originally planned for December 2025, was delayed due to worsening security conditions. UN peacekeepers remained in the area to support affected communities.

[…] Kikwete was appointed on March 24, 2026, by the African Union chairperson as AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, with a special mandate on South Sudan. His visit to Juba is under a mandate from the African Union’s Ad Hoc High-Level Committee on South Sudan (C-5), tasked with supporting implementation of the 2018 peace deal.