Südsudan

Renewed fighting in South Sudan’s Jonglei state has displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians in recent weeks, damaged health facilities, fuelled the spread of cholera and prompting the UN relief chief to warn of a “perfect storm” of conflict, climate shocks and deprivation. 

South Sudan’s government said Thursday that the fate of suspended First Vice President Dr. Riek Machar rests entirely with the judiciary, rejecting international calls for his release.

Interview with H.E. Pelle Enarsson, the head of the European Union (EU) Delegation to South Sudan, who assumed office in September 2025. 

Escalating violence, political stalemate and humanitarian constraints are pushing South Sudan’s civilians to the brink once again, while funding cuts weaken the UN mission tasked with protecting them. Briefing ambassadors in the Security Council on Tuesday, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said instability had risen sharply in recent weeks, driven by political deadlock among signatories to the 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement and a dangerous escalation in armed confrontations.

Médecins Sans Frontières said its hospital in South Sudan's Jonglei state, where it serves more than 200,000 people, was hit by an airstrike on Tuesday night, destroying the hospital's main warehouse and most of its critical medical supplies.

[…] The convoy attack reflects a broader collapse in humanitarian access, particularly in Jonglei state, where renewed fighting since late December has intensified clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces and the South Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition across multiple counties.

Military tensions in South Sudan are “rapidly expanding” between Government forces and opposition militia as fighting continues in restive Jonglei state. Briefing journalists based at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, Anita Kiki Gbeho, Officer in Charge of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said Jonglei has become a ‘flashpoint’ for fighting, with civilians caught in the crossfire.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has issued a presidential order establishing a broad-based leadership body to conduct dialogue on election-related issues, bringing together parties signatory to the 2018 peace deal and other stakeholders. The order, read on state-run television on Friday night, excludes the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO) faction led by Dr. Riek Machar and seeks to build political consensus ahead of the country’s long-delayed elections.

South Sudan’s fragile peace agreement is at a “critical crossroads”, with escalating ceasefire violations raising fears of a return to full-scale conflict and threatening preparations for elections planned for late 2026, a monitoring body said in a new report released today.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is sounding the alarm over the threat of escalating violence in Jonglei state which is putting lives at risk and further weakening prospects for peace.  UNMISS expressed grave concern following reports that a senior military leader is urging troops to inflict discriminate violence against civilians, with more than 180,000 people fleeing their homes.