South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Jenifer James
The Security Council has extended the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for another year, as the country teeters on the brink of renewed conflict.
Adopting Resolution 2779 (2025) by a recorded vote of 12 in favour, none against, and three abstentions (China, Russia, and Pakistan), the 15-member Council renewed UNMISS until April 30, 2026.
The resolution reaffirms UNMISS’s critical role in protecting civilians, supporting humanitarian aid delivery, monitoring human rights, and backing the implementation of the fragile 2018 Revitalised Peace Agreement signed by President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar.
“This situation is darkly reminiscent of the conflicts of 2013 and 2016, which cost over 400,000 lives,” Nicholas Haysom told the Council, warning that recent developments could lead the country back into war. “We are witnessing alarming signs that the peace process is beginning to unravel.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Acting Ambassador Dorothy Shea urged the international community to pull South Sudan “back from the brink,” citing attacks on civilians and challenges facing peacekeepers, including demands to vacate a key base.
“The day that a peacekeeping operation is no longer required in South Sudan will be a bright one,” she said.
The Council voiced “deep concern” over delays in implementing the peace deal and emphasised that organising and funding free and fair elections remains the responsibility of South Sudan’s transitional government.
The renewed mandate maintains current troop and police levels at 17,000 military personnel and 2,101 police officers, including 88 justice and corrections advisers. However, the Council noted it is ready to review those numbers based on conditions on the ground.
The resolution also called for an immediate end to hostilities, urging all parties and armed actors to halt violence and respect civilians. “The parties must act with urgency and demonstrate political will,” the resolution stated, “including through open and constructive dialogue.”
UN officials have reported increased tensions following the reported arrest of opposition leader Riek Machar, with some areas descending into active military confrontation. The spread of hate speech and misinformation is also fuelling ethnic divisions and instability.
The Security Council reminded South Sudanese authorities of their “primary responsibility” to protect their people and pressed them to adopt the necessary legal framework for national elections.
