South Sudan

The Security Council today extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) by nine days, until 9 May, apparently to allow more time for members to discuss the matter amid escalating tensions in the country. The short-term technical rollover was unanimously adopted through resolution 2778 (2025) (to be issued as document S/RES/2778 (2025)).  It authorizes the Mission to continue to “use all necessary means to carry out its tasks” beyond its current mandate’s expiration on 30 April.

South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has dismissed the head of the country’s General Intelligence Bureau (GIB) and replaced his presidential security advisor in a series of high-level reshuffles, state media reported on Wednesday. … Since last October, Kiir has made frequent changes to intelligence leadership, a shift from past reshuffles that primarily targeted cabinet ministers and military officials.

The South Sudanese army recaptured the town of Nasir on 19 April, in a setback for the opposition militia that had seized it in early March, amid the first stirrings of renewed civil war. … It is unclear for now whether the recapture of Nasir will bring an end to the surge in conflict in the Upper Nile, but chances are that more violence is on the way.

A sharp deterioration in South Sudan’s political and security situation threatens to undermine the peace gains achieved so far and plunge the country back into war, the Head of the UN Mission warned the Security Council today, stressing the need for all parties to cease hostilities and honour the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement.

South Sudan's President Salva Kiir has replaced its foreign minister with his deputy, Monday Simaya Kumba, state media reported, following a migration dispute with the United States.

Hunger in South Sudan’s northeast has reached a critical tipping point, with nearly 7.7 million people facing severe food insecurity as conflict escalates, the UN’s emergency food relief agency warned on Wednesday.

South Sudan is likely to return to full-blown civil war unless the international community takes a radical approach to stabilise the country and re-engage in the peace process.

[...] During the reporting period, political dynamics were marked by rising tensions between the Parties to the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan, and ongoing regional and international efforts to mediate and keep the peace process on track.

[...] To enhance mediation efforts and support the full implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), the Chairperson is dispatching a high-level delegation of the AU Panel of the Wise to Juba to engage with all the stakeholders to de-escalate tensions and promote dialogue.

The Ugandan army on Friday denied using “chemical or barrel weapons” in South Sudan, days after the UN said a highly flammable liquid was used in aerial strikes in the country. Uganda deployed its special forces to South Sudan in March to support.