United Nations extends mission in South Sudan

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday extended the peacekeeping mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for one year, at a time of escalating tensions in the country.

The resolution, which extends the mission's mandate until 30 April 2026, received 12 votes in favour and three abstentions: Pakistan, China and Russia . Although the resolution maintains UNMISS's core tasks, negotiations around the renewal have been difficult, with protracted discussions lasting several weeks.

The Security Council decided that the mission will continue to advance a multi-year strategic vision to prevent a return to civil war and will address critical gaps for building lasting peace, with a special focus on the protection of civilians.

The mission's mandate also aims to create conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, support the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement and the Peace Process, and monitor and investigate human rights violations.

The Security Council, made up of 15 member states, took the opportunity to demand that all parties to the conflict and other armed actors immediately cease fighting throughout South Sudan and reminded the South Sudanese authorities of their primary responsibility to protect civilians .

The United States, which holds the South Sudan dossier at the UN, stressed that the renewal of UNMISS comes at a time when the country “is on the brink of a wider civil war”.

“The international community must use its influence to pull South Sudan back from the brink, including through UNMISS,” acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea urged after the vote.

Shea argued that the transitional government “has not taken the necessary steps to peacefully conclude the transition period and has not demonstrated the political will to implement the peace agreement,” making the role of the UN mission “increasingly difficult.”

To achieve peace and avoid the resumption of civil war, the US diplomat argued, the transitional government must act with all urgency to end the violence , reduce political tensions, release First Vice President Riek Machar from house arrest and open a dialogue between the parties in conflict.

The ambassador also said that the United States is committed “ to the return of the UN to its fundamental purpose of maintaining international peace and security ,” assessing that the potential of this multilateral system “is commendable, but it is far from its original mission.”

The UN ceiling of 17,000 troops and 2,101 police for the country remains unchanged, but the Security Council raised the possibility of making adjustments to the numbers and tasks “depending on the security conditions on the ground” and the implementation of “priority measures”, such as removing obstacles to the functioning of UNMISS and creating a “conducive climate” for holding elections.

In this sense, Dorothy Shea further stated that it would be irresponsible to provide more funding for the elections due to the “ inaction ” of the transitional government.

On the other hand, the representative of South Sudan, while welcoming the renewal of UNMISS’s mandate, expressed concern that the contributions shared by his Government during the process of drafting the resolution had not been incorporated into the final text.

“Future consultations should allow for a more inclusive and balanced consideration of the host country’s perspective,” he said, stressing that any support offered by the UN mission must be aligned with its own country’s priorities and development plans.

Several states in the world's youngest country have been rocked for weeks by clashes between the pro-Machar army and government forces, in a country that is also mired in a serious humanitarian crisis.

The renewal of the mandate comes at a time when the UN has called for calm in South Sudan, especially in regions where there have been new clashes between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and the armed wing of Vice President Riek Machar's party.

Machar's arrest in late March marked an escalation of violence that has raised fears of a new civil war, nearly seven years after the end of a bloody conflict between supporters of the two men that left some 400,000 people dead and four million displaced between 2013 and 2018.