Südsudan

A high-level delegation from the African Union Peace and Security Council (PSC) is set to arrive in Juba over the weekend amid escalating political and security tensions that threaten to unravel South Sudan’s fragile 2018 peace agreement.

Western embassies called Wednesday for the release of detained South Sudanese First Vice President Riek Machar as they condemned surging violence that threatens the country’s fragile peace deal.

Uganda’s army, which has been supporting South Sudan’s ruling faction against its internal rivals, has clashed violently with local armed forces in the country, officials said on Tuesday.

Food lifeline fading for millions in South Sudan hit by conflict and climate shocks

South Sudan’s dramatic hunger crisis is worsening and millions of people there could miss out on food aid because of the global humanitarian funding crisis, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) said on Tuesday. … The worst-hit areas include Upper Nile state, where fighting has displaced thousands and relief access is restricted. Two counties are at risk of tipping into famine: Nasir and Ulang.

In March 2025, the arrest of South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar reignited fears of renewed civil war. Armed clashes broke out across Upper Nile and Jonglei, echoing the collapse of earlier peace agreements. For the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which helped broker the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), the events were a critical test of its mediation legacy and a warning sign for the region’s fragile peace architecture.

[…] According to the Quarterly Report of Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC), released Thursday, the general political and security situation continues to deteriorate. … The 16-page report says that despite extensive high-level diplomatic efforts by regional and international actors, no significant breakthrough has been achieved in resolving the political and security impasse in the country.

Violence against civilians in South Sudan is escalating to record levels, a new report by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has said. The report documented 1,607 victims in the first quarter of this year, the highest number in any three-month period since 2020.

After a 10-day absence that prompted concerns about his health, South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit has returned to the country. The 73-year-old arrived from the United Arab Emirates with several government officials but did not speak to the public.

The European Union (EU) has allocated 11 million Euros to UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support long-term recovery and stability for communities in South Sudan affected by the Sudan conflict and resulting displacement. Since fighting broke out in Sudan in April 2023, over 1.1 million people have fled to South Sudan, placing heavy strain on already limited infrastructure and essential services.

As Crisis Group warned in March, South Sudan is in a state of political turmoil as President Salva Kiir reshapes his administration and dismantles the 2018 peace deal that ended the last civil war. His actions seem designed to eliminate possible rivals to Vice President Benjamin Bol Mel, a protegé he has elevated rapidly as a potential successor.