South Sudan

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.

UN experts today warned that South Sudan is turning into a catastrophic human rights and humanitarian crisis, urging immediate steps to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian access, and enable internally displaced persons to return safely and with dignity.

[…] In a joint statement, the embassies of Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States said they were “deeply concerned” by the impact of recent military operations in Akobo, which they said forced humanitarian agencies to withdraw alongside large numbers of civilians.

At least 74 mine workers have been killed by gunmen in an area south-west of the capital, Juba, with government and opposition officials trading accusations over who was behind the deaths. The violence occurred over the weekend in mineral-rich Jebel Iraq, which is controlled by the army.

With the window for holding meaningful elections fast closing, can the three initiatives underway deliver more than previous efforts?