South Sudan: Briefing and Consultations*
Tomorrow morning (17 April), the Security Council will hold an open briefing on the situation in South Sudan and the work of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS Anita Kiki Gbeho is expected to brief on the Secretary-General’s latest 90-day report (S/2026/316), which was circulated to Council members on 10 April and covers developments since 16 January. This will be Gbeho’s first briefing in this role, following her appointment on 11 April. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher will also brief on the humanitarian situation in the country*. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.
South Sudan’s political landscape remains highly volatile, driven in part by unilateral actions by President Salva Kiir Mayardit, including the dismissal of officials without prior consultations, in violation of the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). The ongoing trial of First Vice-President Riek Machar and several co-defendants underscores deepening political divisions. The opposition remains fragmented, with Kiir appointing members of an SPLA-IO splinter faction led by Stephen Par Kuol to legislative positions. (For more information, see the brief on South Sudan in our April 2026 Monthly Forecast.)
Long-planned elections, currently scheduled for December 2026 following repeated postponements, are looking increasingly uncertain. Persistent financial constraints, coupled with delays in key legal and political decisions, continue to impede progress on critical transitional processes. The Secretary-General’s report notes that, as at 11 March, the National Elections Commission indicated that it had received only four percent of its requested budget.
In this context, the revitalised agreement appears to have been progressively hollowed out. According to the Secretary-General’s report, political fragmentation has contributed directly to military escalation, increasingly hostile rhetoric and greater assertiveness among armed actors. The report underscores the persistent lack of political will to advance inclusive dialogue and the continued focus on the elections over the full implementation of key R-ARCSS benchmarks, including the unification of forces, which has created an environment that increasingly favours one signatory party, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), headed by Kiir.
Meanwhile, the security situation continues to spiral across South Sudan, marked by sustained hostilities between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces (SSPDF), the government’s forces, and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO) alongside other opposition and affiliated groups. During the reporting period, the security situation in the Greater Upper Nile region further deteriorated, with Jonglei state seeing the highest increase in fighting and related casualties. Elsewhere, the Greater Equatoria and Greater Bahr el Ghazal regions remained volatile, affected by a combination of clashes between SSPDF and SPLA-IO elements, intercommunal violence, and cross-border cattle raids, resulting in significant civilian harm. According to the Secretary-General’s report, fighting has involved heavy weaponry, aerial bombardment, displacement, retaliatory attacks, and inflammatory rhetoric, raising concerns of ethnically motivated violence.
Continued insecurity has been marked by serious violations of international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests and detention as well as extrajudicial killings. During the reporting period, UNMISS documented and verified 139 such incidents affecting 1,063 civilians, including 639 deaths, underscoring the severe impact of the violence on the civilian population. The mission also documented 34 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) affecting 64 survivors, 18 of which were attributed to the SSPDF.
Against this backdrop, UNMISS is operating in an increasingly volatile environment, characterised by resource constraints and a challenging operational context, with implications for its ability to effectively implement its mandate. Between 16 January and 15 March, the mission recorded 82 incidents involving violations of the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), 66 of which related to movement restrictions imposed by government authorities. The mission also reported multiple incidents affecting UN personnel, assets, and premises, including cases of harassment, intimidation, and the temporary detention of staff by security actors.
UNMISS has recently completed the implementation of a contingency plan in response to the UN-wide financial crisis. According to the Secretary-General’s report, the mission’s reduced footprint, including cuts to uniformed and civilian personnel as well as operational funding, has constrained the mission’s geographical reach, early warning and rapid response capacities, and significantly curtailed human rights monitoring, community and political engagement, and humanitarian protection support.
Media reports indicate that UNMISS is also moving towards closing its temporary base in Akobo, Jonglei state, as noted in the UN Department of Peace Operations (DPO)’s 20 January white note to the Council. Akobo, a strategically located town along the border with Ethiopia, has witnessed heightened confrontations between SSPDF and SPLA-IO forces in recent months. On 13 February, UNMISS transferred security and administrative responsibility for the Malakal Protection of Civilians site to the South Sudanese authorities, marking the site’s transition to a settlement area for internally displaced persons (IDPs). (For more information, see our 9 February What’s in Blue story.)
Tomorrow, Gbeho and Council members are likely to call for a cessation of hostilities by all sides in South Sudan and urge the parties to exercise maximum restraint and re-commit to the peace process. Some members may call for the release of political detainees, including Machar, and for direct, constructive dialogue to prevent further escalation. Several members are likely to underscore UNMISS’ role in promoting stability and protecting civilians. They may stress the need to ensure the safety and security of peacekeepers and strengthen accountability for IHL violations and human rights abuses. Some might emphasise the importance of equipping the mission with adequate resources to effectively implement its mandate amid ongoing financial constraints.
Some speakers may also welcome ongoing efforts by regional and international interlocutors to revive the peace process. On 15 February, the African Union (AU) High-Level Ad Hoc Committee (C5)-Plus for South Sudan—which is led by South Africa and comprised of Algeria, Chad, Nigeria, and Rwanda, together with international partners such as the UN—met on the sidelines of the AU Summit in Addis Ababa. In its declaration, the group demanded an immediate and unconditional ceasefire and cessation of hostilities, called on all leaders to prioritise the organisation of elections by December 2026 and discouraged further extensions of the transition, and requested the transitional government to resume national dialogue and consider the release of political prisoners, including Machar.
Between 14 and 22 March, Kiir visited South Africa, where he met with President Cyril Ramaphosa, who chairs the AU’s C5-Plus committee, and Deputy President Paul Mashatile.
On 25 March, Chairperson of the AU Commission Mahmoud Ali Youssouf appointed former Tanzanian president Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete as the AU High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea. Following his appointment, Kikwete met with Ramaphosa in Pretoria on 29 March. He subsequently visited Kampala on 7 April, where he met with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. (Uganda’s deployment of troops and military equipment to South Sudan in support of Kiir’s forces since March 2025 has drawn significant attention.) Kikwete then travelled to Juba on 8 April for a three-day visit, during which he met with Kiir, cabinet ministers, SPLM officials, and civil society representatives, and reportedly engaged with SPLA-IO officials aligned with Machar.
At tomorrow’s meeting, speakers are also expected to address the country’s humanitarian situation, which continues to deteriorate amid sustained violence, displacement, and access constraints. Conflict, disease outbreak, flooding, and the effects of the crisis in neighbouring Sudan continue to drive humanitarian needs. According to the Secretary-General’s report, as at 25 March, nearly 276,500 people were displaced across Jonglei, Lakes, Upper Nile, and Central Equatoria states and an estimated 110,000 people have fled to Ethiopia.
Meanwhile, deadly attacks against critical civilian infrastructure and humanitarian personnel have continued, while impediments to humanitarian access, including looting of humanitarian assets, have further constrained relief operations. Recent months have seen repeated incidents involving the looting and destruction of infrastructure, including compounds of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and hospitals, while a significant reduction in humanitarian presence in areas such as Jonglei and Upper Nile states has led to the suspension of essential services. Four humanitarian workers were killed in February, while an additional four humanitarian volunteers lost their lives in Abiemnhom county on 2 March. Since late December 2025, at least 26 health facilities in Jonglei have reportedly been damaged or looted, alongside the seizure of humanitarian compounds and vehicles.
In late February, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher visited South Sudan, including Akobo and Malakal, where he met with local communities and frontline humanitarian workers. According to the Secretary-General’s report, Fletcher engaged with senior government officials, including Kiir, who committed to facilitating humanitarian access and ensuring the safety of humanitarian personnel.
Looking ahead, the Council is expected to vote on a draft resolution renewing UNMISS’ mandate prior to its 30 April expiry. At the time of writing, the US (the penholder on the file) had shared the draft text with the other permanent members, with negotiations among all Council members expected to continue in the coming weeks.
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**Post-script (21 April): After the story’s publication, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Tom Fletcher was added as a briefer at the meeting. The story was amended to reflect this change.
