The United Nations’ Security Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, Thursday.
Some of the mandates of UNMISS include protection of civilians and their property, creating a conducive environment for the delivery of aid, and supporting the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
The council condemned child abuse, including their recruitment as soldiers, killing, maiming and sexual violence against them.
“…Expressing grave concern over the high numbers of violations and abuses against children, in particular the increase in those involving the continuing recruitment and use of children,” reads part of the resolution.
Conflict extended its tentacles to other parts of South Sudan since the killing of a UN Crew member and SSPDF general on March 7, 2025, alongside over twenty others on an evacuation mission in Nasir.
Several SPLM/A-IO leaders have remained under detention including the First Vice President Riek Machar, Petroleum Minister Puot Kang Chol, and Deputy Chief of Defense Forces Duop Lam among others. The government claims these leaders had a link to the Nasir incident and await investigations.
However, a significant split also happened within SPLM/A-IO. The SPLM/A-IO in Juba appointed a replacement for their party’s chair, Riek Machar.
Fighting has so far extended to Panyikang County in Upper Nile State, Central Equatoria, Unity, and Jonglei States, with the SPLA-IO forces breaking away from the unified force as stipulated in the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
Yesterday, the AU Mission in South Sudan (AUMISS), the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), and the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) called upon South Sudanese leaders to cease hostilities.
“The ongoing air and ground attacks are leading to an alarming loss of life, property and civilian displacement, even as ethnically polarising rhetoric and hate speech are rising,” noted the Quartet in a joint statement.
The Quartet urged the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (CTSAMVM) to investigate, verify and report the findings of the recent violence. It states that the perpetrators should be held accountable.
