[As Delivered]
Mr. President,
I thank you for this opportunity to address the Security Council following the Secretary-General’s latest report. Since my last briefing just a month ago, major developments have taken place in South Sudan that require particular attention, given the country’s continued fragility.
As described in the report, political deadlock among the main signatories to the Revitalized Peace Agreement continues to drive heightened tensions, manifesting in armed confrontations in many parts of the country.
In recent weeks, we have witnessed a sharp escalation of violence, particularly in Jonglei, with clashes between Government and opposition forces. Both sides claim to be acting in self-defence, while at the same time preparing for the possibility of large-scale hostilities.
The reports of aerial bombardments, inflammatory rhetoric, mass displacement, and severe restrictions on humanitarian access observed in Jonglei are of great concern. Communities that remember all too well the violence of 2013 and 2016 are again on the move – over 280,000 people displaced from fighting in Jonglei alone as per government sources.
On 25 January, Government forces in Jonglei instructed the temporary relocation of civilians – as well as UN and humanitarian personnel – from several counties in Jonglei, including from the UNMISS base in Akobo, citing an anticipated military operation. Two days later, the Government Spokesperson subsequently denied issuing such directive while reiterating continued cooperation with these partners.
We are also concerned by reports of inflammatory public statements attributed to General Johnson Olony Thabo, the South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SSPDF) Assistant Chief for Disarmament and Mobilization, although the Government clarified that these do not reflect official policy. Such rhetoric only inflames an already volatile situation and underscores the need for restraint and the protection of civilians.
Mr. President,
The African Union Peace and Security Council as well as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) have expressed serious concern regarding escalating hostilities. Together, we have also made clear that there is no military solutions and that the Revitalized Peace Agreement remains the only viable framework for peace and stability.
It is in this context that we, the United Nations, the African Union, and IGAD, have reiterated our position that any changes to the Revitalized Agreement must be undertaken through inclusive and consensual processes.
We therefore remain concerned by recent unilateral initiatives to amend the Agreement, including proposals to defer key outstanding tasks, such as the constitution-making process, until after the elections. If pursued, such changes would alter the primacy of the Agreement and its precedence over national legislation.
The Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army-in-Opposition (SPLM/A-IO), as a principal signatory to the Agreement, has indicated that it was not able to participate in these discussions, in light of the ongoing legal proceedings involving First Vice President, Riek Machar. The party has continued to contest these initiatives and has reiterated its position that its participation in political dialogue is contingent upon Mr. Machar’s release.
We take note of regional efforts aimed at revitalizing dialogue, including of the updated Tumaini process, with emphasis on supporting the holding of elections as a key milestone, and the African Union’s High-Level Ad Hoc Committee for South Sudan (C5) proposal for a leadership retreat in Pretoria to help much-needed momentum.
Concurrently, President Kiir has also constituted a national Broad-Based Committee for a 45‑day-long consultative process on election‑related questions, however, excluding the mainstream SPLM/A‑IO.
While these efforts are welcome, dialogue and consensus-building among all signatories and stakeholders to the Agreement remain the only viable path to overcoming the current stalemate and ensuring a tangible cessation of hostilities on the ground. Convergence with existing regional frameworks will be important to ensure complementarity and effectiveness.
South Sudan remains one of the most dangerous places in the world for humanitarian workers. In 2025, 350 attacks on humanitarian staff and facilities were recorded, up from 255 the previous year.
Despite government assurances, partners report persistent access constraints, particularly to opposition-held areas. These constraints are unfolding amid the country’s worst cholera outbreak, with over 98,000 reported cases since the outbreak began in September 2024. The situation is now deteriorating further with a resurgence of cholera in Jonglei State, where case numbers are steadily increasing.
Flight restrictions and blocked movements are preventing medical evacuations and delaying the delivery of life-saving assistance to vulnerable communities at a critical time. In parallel, there are repeated reports of attacks on, and looting of health facilities, humanitarian offices, vehicles, and other critical assets, further undermining the cholera response and broader humanitarian operations.
Large numbers of people are sheltering in open areas or makeshift structures with limited access to food, health care and protection. Violence in Uror and Nyirol forced the closure of 24 nutrition sites, cutting off care for 7,868 children (including 2,633 with severe acute malnutrition) and 2,764 pregnant and breastfeeding women.
At least eight health facilities have been affected. Most recently, on 3 February, a hospital in Lankien was struck during an airstrike, which destroyed critical medical supplies and injured staff. A health facility in Pieri, Uror County, was looted on the same day, forcing aid workers and community members to flee. These facilities provided essential health care for over 25,000 people.
Between 30 January and 1 February, humanitarian barges carrying vital items to assist 73,000 civilians were attacked and looted in Upper Nile State. These incidents raise serious concerns about shrinking humanitarian space at a time when more than 10 million people require humanitarian assistance, including 7.5 million facing food insecurity and over 1.3 million returnees and refugees from Sudan.
I urge this Council to send a clear, united message: attacks on health facilities, medical personnel and humanitarian staff, infrastructure and assets are unacceptable. The parties must commit to guarantee sustained, predictable, and safe humanitarian access countrywide.
I further urge that humanitarian action is funded in line with the scale of needs through the hyper prioritised South Sudan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, so that essential life-saving assistance can continue.
Mr. President,
Against this backdrop, UNMISS is nearing completion of its cost reduction measures while endeavouring to implement its mandate.
The Mission continues to engage political leadership at national and subnational levels to de-escalate fighting, conduct patrols and maintain a deterrence posture to protect civilians. UNMISS has broadened its engagements with women-led networks, the women’s leagues of the main political parties, as well as civil society women’s platforms to support their participation in political dialogue and governance.
In Unity State, when violence in Pakur triggered a spillover of tensions into the Bentiu IDP camp and SSPDF deployed heavy artillery into the buffer zone, opposite IO positions, UNMISS intervened swiftly, deploying forces and engaging the parties, helping to de‑escalate a potentially dangerous situation, and thus saving probably many lives.
Amid these rising needs, the cost reduction measures have already resulted in significant operational capacity constraints to deliver fully on mandated tasks. For example, protection patrols have been reduced by up to 40 per cent where Force deployment is decreasing and by up to 70 per cent in areas where bases have closed. Long-duration ground patrols have dropped from three or four per month to one or two. Around 40 human rights monitoring missions have been cancelled. Areas where bases have closed are seeing increased tensions and clashes.
Today, the situation in Akobo shows the difficult balance we face. Although the base is scheduled for closure by March under the reduction plan, escalating fighting in Jonglei required the Mission to send reinforcements instead. You will also have seen reports of the establishment by UNMISS of a temporary base in Duk Padiet, north of Bor, in Jonglei State.
In a largely opposition‑controlled area, our presence is serving as a critical deterrent; indeed, it has so far helped prevent potential aerial bombardments in and around the town. For many civilians, Akobo can become an island of relative safety at a moment of acute insecurity, until it is closed.
To mitigate these constraints, UNMISS has been adapting – to the extent possible – its operations to prioritize protection, humanitarian facilitation, and rapid response efforts.
The Mission is recalibrating its operations to leverage available resources to sustain critical engagement, to accompany affected communities and institutions, and deliver essential services.
For example, with major troop and base reductions, the Force Component will rely more on the longer, hotspot-focused patrols under tighter planning cycles, requiring deeper integration with civilian sections and Field Offices while staying agile to respond to civilian threats. Civil Affairs has expanded reliance on partner non-governmental organizations to maintain situational awareness and sustain continuity of engagements.
The trends we are currently observing are clear: the presence of UNMISS continues to matter a lot. It matters to the people that we protect, it matters to our humanitarian partners that we assist, and it matters to the peace process that we actively support and engage in.
Mr. President,
In light of the above, the international community, including this Council, must ensure that the South Sudanese political actors step back from this dangerous precipice, return to dialogue and seek consensus on the way forward.
The renewed momentum we are seeing in the region, the efforts by the African Union, IGAD and South Sudan’s neighbours are laudable and require our support and require the united support of this Security Council at this critical juncture.
A coordinated, strong approach by the international community will help ensure the integrity and supremacy of the Revitalized Agreement and will eventually lead to the long overdue and successful implementation of its security arrangements and the holding of free, fair and inclusive national elections.
Let me be clear – without consensus, without the participation of all those who have placed their hopes into this peace process, and in all corners, in all ten states of the country, any election is likely to be not credible and therefore worthy of our support. The Secretary-General’s critical mass of necessary conditions for peaceful and credible elections – as agreed with the African Union and IGAD – remains valid.
In closing, allow me to also reinforce the importance of a peacekeeping mission that continues to be fully operational and robust, amidst all these very challenging and difficult circumstances. Your continued support to UNMISS enables the Mission to continue to address the challenges that I just described.
I thank you, Mr. President.
--
Contact: UNMISS Spokesperson at unmiss-spokesperson@un.org