March 2020 Monthly Forecast, posted 28 February 2020.
On 22 February, the Transitional Government of National Unity was established in South Sudan, marking the start of a 36-month transitional period ahead of the holding of elections, in accordance with the terms of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) signed on 12 September 2018. Riek Machar was sworn in as First Vice President, followed by four other four vice-presidents. Machar pledged to work with Kiir during the upcoming 36-month transitional period to implement the R-ARCSS. “For the people of South Sudan, I want to assure you that we will work together to end your long-suffering,” he said.
According to the terms of the R-ARCSS, 12 May 2019 was to mark the end of the eight-month pre-transitional period and the start of the 36-month transitional period, with elections to be held 60 days before the end of the transitional period. The deadline for the end of the pre-transitional period was extended for a second time until 22 February so that critical outstanding pre-transitional tasks specified under the R-ARCSS could be completed. These include the cantonment and training of a unified army and agreement on the number and boundaries of states. To date, many pre-transitional tasks remain outstanding, although on 15 February the parties were able to reach a compromise on reducing the number of states from 32 to 10.
The overall level of political violence remains lower than prior to the signing of the R-ARCSS, and the ceasefire continues to hold across most of the country. However, ethnic and intercommunal violence has continued, along with sporadic clashes between government and opposition forces in some parts of the country. The human rights, humanitarian, food security, and economic conditions in the country remain dire, with an enormous impact on civilians.
On March 12, 2020, the Security Council adopted the UNSCR 2514, renewing the UNMISS mandate for one year acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations. The mandate maintains a troop ceiling of 17,000 military personnel, which includes a Regional Protection Force (RPF), and an additional 2,101 police personnel, including 88 corrections officers. The renewed mandate will run until 15 March 2021.
By terms of the resolution, the 15 member Council demanded that all parties to the conflict immediately cease fighting throughout South Sudan and engage in political dialogue. It also demanded that the country’s leaders implement the permanent ceasefire declared in the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan.
By further terms, the Council encouraged the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union Peace and Security Council and countries in the region to continue their firm engagement with South Sudan’s leaders, and to meet, without delay, their commitments under the Revitalized Agreement and other cessation-of-hostilities accords.
The Council requested that the Secretary-General provide, no later than 15 December, an independent strategic review of UNMISS, assessing the challenges to peace and security in South Sudan, with detailed recommendations for a possible reconfiguration of the Mission’s mandate, as well as its civilian, military and police components to account for developments in the peace process.
These products are the results of academic research and intended for general information and awareness only. They include the best information publicly available at the time of publication. Routine efforts are made to update the materials; however, readers are encouraged to check the specific mission sites at https://unmiss.unmissions.org or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss.
Languages: English (official), Arabic (includes Juba and Sudanese variants), regional languages include Dinka, Nuer, Bari, Zande, Shilluk
Religions: animist, Christian, Muslim
Demographic profile:
South Sudan, independent from Sudan since July 2011 after decades of civil war, is one of the world’s poorest countries and ranks among the lowest in many socioeconomic categories. Problems are exacerbated by ongoing tensions with Sudan over oil revenues and land borders, fighting between government forces and rebel groups, and inter-communal violence. Most of the population lives off of farming, while smaller numbers rely on animal husbandry; more than 80% of the populace lives in rural areas. The maternal mortality rate is among the world’s highest for a variety of reasons, including a shortage of health care workers, facilities, and supplies; poor roads and a lack of transport; and cultural beliefs that prevent women from seeking obstetric care. Most women marry and start having children early, giving birth at home with the assistance of traditional birth attendants, who are unable to handle complications.
Educational attainment is extremely poor due to the lack of schools, qualified teachers, and materials. Less than a third of the population is literate (the rate is even lower among women), and half live below the poverty line. Teachers and students are also struggling with the switch from Arabic to English as the language of instruction. Many adults missed out on schooling because of warfare and displacement.
Almost 2 million South Sudanese have sought refuge in neighboring countries since the current conflict began in December 2013. Another 1.96 million South Sudanese are internally displaced as of August 2017. Despite South Sudan’s instability and lack of infrastructure and social services, more than 240,000 people have fled to South Sudan to escape fighting in Sudan.
Major religions. According to the WPR, South Sudan is a fairly religiously divided nation. The top two faiths are traditional African religions and Christianity, and the percentages of each vary depending on who you ask. A study, “Religion in South Sudan,” by the Pew Research on Religion, stated that South Sudan’s population is 60.5% Christian, 32.9% follow traditional African religion, 6.2% are Muslim, and 0.4% are considered “other.” Due to the ruling of Islamic Sudan over Southern Sudan between 1956 and 2005, the South Sudanese culture was also influenced by Islam, especially in the western and northern parts of Greater Bahr el Ghazal, where nomadic Arabs continue to migrate into South Sudan and traders used to come from the north.
Life expectancy. 56 years (men), 58 years (women).
South Sudan – Population Density (Copyright Geo-Ref.Net)
Population. The Dinka (a Nilotic people) are the biggest ethnic group in South Sudan, forming approximately 35.8% of the population. The Nuer (also Nilotic) is the second biggest ethnic group (15.6%). Other ethnicities or tribes include the Shilluk (Chollo), Luo, Bari, Azande, Anuak, Murle, Kuku, Kakwa, Mandari, Murle, Ndogom Lndi, Lango, Didinga, Dungatona, Acholi, Baka, Fertit, Bviri, Kreish, Bongo, Jiek and Nuba.
Dinka. The Dinka tribe constitutes the biggest ethnic group of South Sudan and probably counts for almost 40% of the population. They are pastoralists and let their cattle graze on the Greater Bahr el Ghazal, in the Pariang County in Unity, in and North of Bor as well as along the Eastern shore of the Nile in Upper Nile State. These geographical divisions reflect themselves into political rivalries among the different Dinka subgroups. While the historical leader of the SPLM, John GARANG, as well as the core leadership of the uprising, came from the Bor area the current President Salva KIIR comes from Greater Bahr el Ghazal (Gogrial in Warrap), which might at times lead to political disagreement. Several other ethnic groups have repeatedly accused the Dinkas of using the South Sudanese institutions to advance a tribal agenda.
Nuer. The Nuers are pastoralists and count for about 30% of the South Sudanese population. While the Unity State, with the exception of the Pariang County, is inhabited by the Nuer people, most of them live on the Eastern side of the Nile, in Southern Upper Nile, Northern Jonglei, and Western Ethiopia around Gambella. The former vice president and current SPLM in opposition, Riek Machar, is a Nuer from Leer in Unity, while the military commander of the SPLA in opposition, Peter Gadet, originates from Mayom, the hometown of the Bull Nuers. The Nuer culture is very similar to the Dinka customs but distinguished itself by a very particular set of traditional believes and superstition as well as by a very efficient mobilization process of the youth in order to fight. Since the end of the 19th century, several Nuer prophets, following Ngundeng Bong, appeared among the Nuer people and spread well-remembered prophecies. As of June 2014, Dak Kueth, a native of the Yuai area in Jonglei, continues to be recognized as an active prophet and exercises considerable influence over the cattle camp youth. Riek Machar reportedly possesses the “magical” stick of the original Ngundeng Bong prophet. While they seem to show greater solidarity than the Dinkas, the Nuer are also divided into subgroups. Most of the Bul Nuer from Mayom, for instance, openly supported the Juba government in the crisis in June 2014.
Murle. The Murle Tribe constitutes a relatively small (about 160 000 persons) ethnic group of pastoralists living in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (formerly Pibor County). Depending on the season, besides the cattle, they will get their food from the river (fishing), the forests (wild honey and herbs), agriculture (sorghum) of the game (the Kob migration). While the Dinkas and the Nuers share many linguistic and cultural similarities, the Murle speak a totally different language and have developed a unique culture due to their geographical isolation in the swamps of the eastern
Jonglei. They don’t respect an established permanent political structure among the tribe, but the men’s loyalty goes to the age set (or generation) they belong to. The “dominant” generation gathers the men from about 20 to 30 years old and forms the warrior age set defending the tribe (and raiding the cattle of their neighbors at times). As of June 2014, the Botonya generation is being contested by the younger Lango age set. Due to their marginalization and fierce and independent culture, the Murles participated in several uprisings in the past. David Yau Yau, from the Botonya generation, led the last armed rebellion against the Juba government until his group was finally integrated into the government forces in early 2014.
Other relevant ethnic groups. The Fertits are farmers living west and south of Wau and have an old as well as the recent history of violent clashes with the Dinka administration of Western Bahr el Ghazal. The Shilluks live on the Eastern side of the Nile in Upper Nile State and respect the authority of a customary king. Due to the marginalization by the Juba authorities, some Shilluk leaders such as Olony and Ogat led an armed rebellion against the government of South Sudan until agreements were reached in 2013. The exact status of the different Shilluk armed groups, however, remains largely unclear and the Shiluks declared in February 2014 the creation of a new Shilluk self-defense group. The amount of Dinkas living in Juba is misleading, as the original people living in the area of the capital and further North towards Bor are the Bari and the Mundari. Although they possess cattle, they are mainly farmers and complain about the frequent incursions from the Bor Dinka cattle keepers into their territory. This is a general concern for most of the farmers of the three Equatoria States: the Zande in Western Equatoria complain about the Dinka incursions into their farmlands while the Topposa in eastern Equatoria has a border dispute with the Jonglei State. The Topposas constitute an exception in the Equatorias because of their pastoralist culture and their historical involvement in wars.
The people of South Sudan tend to feel a stronger sense of belonging to their tribe or ethnic group before identifying as citizens of the sovereign state. During the years of civil war with North Sudan, many ethnicities and tribes were able to set aside their differences in order to unite to fight for independence. There was a lot of hope and excitement among the broader South Sudanese community when the country gained independence in 2011. However, when conflict erupted in 2013 over competition for political power over the newly formed country, community opinion became divided again.
It is important to understand that although the current civil war has an ethnic undertone, this does not reflect the attitudes of all South Sudanese. People generally treat each other equally, unless they are politically involved individuals (i.e. members of the army) or live in the specific regions affected by violence. For South Sudanese living in host countries, some people may boycott the community events of another ethnicity; however, this kind of behavior remains on a political level. Day-to-day ethnic relations are usually diplomatic and harmonious as most South Sudanese seek peace. Indeed, South Sudanese people living in other countries are commonly open and united across ethnic backgrounds. People may share their tribe’s songs and dances with other South Sudanese ethnicities to build broader community spirit and solidarity. It is also worth noting that the younger generation is usually detached from the conflict and has become instrumental in developing a united image of the South Sudanese community.
Human security, migrants, immigration/emigration, medical and hygiene, human rights, crime, food/water security. According to the UNHCR about 2.236.176 is the number of refugees and asylum-seekers from South Sudan updated until January 31, 2020, in neighboring countries since the current conflict began in December 2013. According to the CIA, another 1.96 million South Sudanese are internally displaced as of August 2017. Despite South Sudan’s instability and lack of infrastructure and social services, more than 240,000 people have fled to South Sudan to escape fighting in Sudan.
In parallel, according to the USAID an estimated 7.2 million people (more than 60 percent of the population) need humanitarian assistance, 4.5 million urgently need food assistance, and 1.3 million children are acutely malnourished, the highest number recorded since independence. Atrocities and widespread attacks on civilians, including rampant sexual violence, have defined the conflict. South Sudanese have been deeply affected by exposure to traumatic events and economic devastation.
The Government of South Sudan signed agreements in March 2012 and August 2015 that included the demobilization of all child soldiers within the armed forces and opposition, but the recruitment of child soldiers by the warring parties continues; as of the end of 2018, UNICEF estimated that more than 19,000 child soldiers had been used in the country’s civil war since it began in December 2013 (2018).
Refugees from South Sudan – Total (Copyright – UNHCR)(Copyright – UNCHR)
Human Rights. According to the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Human rights abuses during the civil war demonstrated that the parties on all sides of the conflict chose to inflict horrific harm on hundreds of thousands of innocent people who they associated with their enemies. One recent study estimated that 382,000 people died as a direct and indirect result of the conflict, while tens of thousands of people have been subjected to sexual violence, including brutal cases of rape, sexual mutilation, and torture. The sheer scale of the violence – half of the 382,000 people died directly from acts of violence – puts into perspective any claims about protection in this study. Many South Sudanese see the lack of accountability for these serious crimes as a major impediment to long-term stability in the country and a potential trigger for future violence.
In this context, the human rights monitoring and reporting work of UNMISS has publicly documented some of the more egregious patterns of abusive behavior by the parties to the conflict, reports which have been used by UN leadership to advocate for greater restraint by the parties. High visibility reports that identify the groups responsible for systematic or widespread abuses become part of the public discourse in South Sudan, and are certainly used as political tools to demand restraint by the parties to the conflict. The direct impact of the human rights work of the Mission on rates of human rights violations is extremely difficult to assess, though it is worth noting the perception within and outside the Mission that the reports over the past two years have been more direct in their assessments of abuses than in previous years.
Famine Conditions. Food security is a major concern in South Sudan, with an estimated 7 million people being food insecure, 2 million people in need of emergency food aid, nearly a million children under 5 being malnourished, and over 20,000 children in acute famine condition according to the Secretary General report on conditions as of September 2019. Flooding and poor road conditions have also made it difficult for farmers to produce food and distribute it to markets throughout the country.
Protection of Civilians. The September 2019 report of the Secretary General outlines numerous PoC challenges by region. Despite the challenges below, the report states that violence is contained within certain localities.[i]
Greater Upper Nile – Road attacks in Unity remain a threat, and armed men and young people who are engaging in such attacks.
Greater Equatoria – Insecurity due to conflict with the National Salvation Front (NSF), including fighting in Payai and outside Lobonok, as well as cross border recruitment from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. Further incidents have occurred due to SPLA and SPLA-IO clashes.
Greater Bahr el-Ghazal – Cattle raiding and inter-communal conflict continue to pose a threat, and clashes between the South Sudan United Front and the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SPDF). Resistance to disarmament is also causing clashes between civilians and the government.
In response to these threats, the Secretary General’s report stated that UNMISS deployed pre-emptive patrols to project presence and deter violence, increased patrols in hotspots and established a semi-permanent presence where conflict is ongoing. These actions were taken in conjunction with efforts to improve situational awareness through community engagement and human rights monitoring.
Like other peacekeeping contexts where maintaining security at the national level is a challenge, such as the UN Mission in Central African Republic (MINUSCA), facilitating local peace agreements is leading to a de-escalation of violence. The same is occurring in South Sudan. In 2019, UNMISS held a tri-state peace conference between Wau, Tonj, and Gogrial which resulted in local ceasefires that have reduced violence and led to the restoration of property. These promising practices should be encouraged and replicated in other high-risk locations.
PoC Sites. UNMISS provides protection to 180,366 people sheltering in proximity to UN bases. These are known as “PoC sites” which are situated in Juba, Bor, Bentiu, Malakal and Wau. The largest of the sites is Bentiu, where 103,424 people reside.
The mission has had difficulty ensuring the civilian nature of the sites, as weapons are occasionally smuggled within them due to inadequate fencing and perimeter security. However, regular cordon and search operations and meetings with community leaders have led to greater safety within the sites.
While the mission would like to reduce number of people sheltering near UN bases, interviews of IDPs conducted by Refugees International have revealed concerns that their safety would be compromised unless they return to an ethnically homogenous area. This has caused some concern within humanitarian agencies that are prepared to support returns but do not want to further ethnic divisions.
Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA). In 2019, the mission reported 9 allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse; 7 of which concerned exploitative relationships by civilian and military personnel, and 2 rape cases that included paternity claims.[ii] The majority of allegations concerned national staff, however two cases involved personnel from Nigeria and Ghana.
Children and Armed Conflict (CAAC). The Government of South Sudan ratified the UN optional Protocol on the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. However, gaps in implementation remain, as evidenced by the ongoing recruitment of young boys by the National Salvation Front, and in the Greater Equatoria region as well as the number of recruited children who need to be released from detention according to mission reports.
The UN Children’s Agency (UNICEF) is working with the mission and the Sudan People’s Defense Force (SPDF) on the verification of the age of young men recruited into service, to ensure that boys below the age of 18 are not conscripted. The updated UNMISS mandate highlighted that 2.2 million children in South Sudan are out of school, which further contributes to their vulnerability to exploitation, abuse, and forced recruitment.
Women, Peace and Security
Political Participation. The March 2019 renewal of the UNMISS mandate acknowledges impediments to the full implementation of WPS and calls for a renewed commitment to women’s “empowerment, participation, and human rights, concerted leadership, consistent information and action, and support, to build women’s engagement in all levels of decision-making, and through ensuring that the full and meaningful participation and involvement of women in all spheres and levels of political leadership, the peace process, and pre-transitional and transitional government.”[iii] The mandate further welcomes the decision to implement a quota of 35% female participation in the transitional government and encourages officials to realize this goal. UNMISS has a network of gender affairs officers in all field offices that can provide support to women seeking greater participation in the peacebuilding process.
Conflict Related Sexual Violence (CRSV). Sexual and gender based violence (SGBV) remains unusually high in South Sudan and is often associated with the conflict or cattle raids. Some non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as CARE are focusing their prevention efforts on engaging local male leaders, particularly clan and religious leaders, to reduce acceptance of SGBV as part of inter-communal violence and reprisals for the confiscation of property, such as cattle raids.
The rape of young girls by SPLA-IO forces has been documented by the mission, and within the South Sudan People’s Defense Force. Individual cases of sexual violence were also perpetrated by other armed actors. In June 2019, Riek Machar endorsed an action plan against CRSV on behalf of the SPLA-IO, which is in addition to a communique he sent to SPLA-IO commanders in 2014. The action plan agrees that opposition forces will be held accountable for their actions by a civilian court. In July 2019, Machar also sent a communique for forces in Western Equatoria to release girls held against their will on opposition bases.
The mission has worked to reduce incidents of sexual violence within the PoC sites by training police on SGBV investigations and informing women of ways to report incidents to the police. UNMISS is also working with the UN Development Program (UNDP) to expand mobile courts in regions with a high backlog of cases for SGBV, including in Rumbeck and Juba. The mission is also working on other legal and judicial reforms to equip the courts and judges to further prosecute crimes of a sexual nature.
[i] United Nations Security Council, Report of the Secretary-General on the Situation in South Sudan, 10 September 2019 (S/2019/722) https://undocs.org/S/2019/722
Water Security. According to the African Development Bank Group, after decades of war, access to water supply and sanitation services is severely constrained. Only 27% of the population has access to improved water supplies, whereas the average for the comparator countries is about 68%. In the case of sanitation services, only 16% of the population has access to improved sanitation. In the case of the comparator countries, access ranges from 6% for Eritrea to 59% for Malawi. Many of the water points recorded in the national database are not operational. One-third of the population still relies on surface water as its main source. Access to piped water is practically non-existent, and more than 60% of the population relies on wells and boreholes for access to water. Three-quarters of the population does not have access to any type of sanitation facility.
These products are the results of academic research and intended for general information and awareness only. They include the best information publicly available at the time of publication. Routine efforts are made to update the materials; however, readers are encouraged to check the specific mission sites at https://unmiss.unmissions.org or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss.
South Sudan attained independence from Sudan on July 09, 2011, after a referendum, becoming the newest country in the world. The birth of the Republic of South Sudan is the culmination of a six-year peace process, which began with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on 9 January 2005 between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), which ended more than 20 years of war.
The United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) supported the implementation of the CPA during the interim period set up by the Government of Sudan and SPLM when the CPA was signed. The CPA also called for a referendum to take place to determine the status of Southern Sudan. It was held on schedule in January 2011, with the overwhelming majority, 98.83% of participants, voting for independence. The Secretary-General welcomed the announcement of the final results stating that they were reflective of the will of the people of southern Sudan.
Following the end of this interim period, and the subsequent independence of South Sudan in July 2011, the Security Council established a new mission, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) with the adoption of http://unscr.com/en/resolutions/doc/1996 on 8 July 2011.
South Sudan is a member of the United Nations, the African Union, and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD). On March 3rd, 2016, the East African Community Secretariat declared South Sudan officially a member of the regional block. The country will remain an observer until the current leadership addresses issues around instability, governance, and human rights record.
History of the conflict
On 15 December 2013, violence broke out in South Sudan’s capital Juba and quickly spread to other locations in the country resulting in a deep nation-wide political and security crisis. Seven out of the country’s ten states were affected by the conflict with Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Unity, and Upper Nile states being the hardest hit.
In addition, a few days into the crisis, the relationship between the Government and UNMISS started to grow increasingly tense, amid mounting anti-United Nations sentiment emanating from misperceptions about the Mission’s role during the crisis. There were unfounded allegations that UNMISS was not impartial and that the Mission was aiding and abetting the anti-government forces. Senior officials of the Government made hostile public statements. The ability of UNMISS to move freely was increasingly obstructed. Demonstrations against the United Nations were organized in several state capitals, including Rumbek (Lakes State) and Aweil (Northern Bahr el Ghazal State).
The crisis had widespread negative consequences for the human rights situation in many parts of the country, especially in areas of greatest military confrontation (in the national capital and in Jonglei, Upper Nile, and the Unity States). UNMISS estimated that thousands of people had been killed during the hostilities. Both parties to the conflict were responsible for ethnically targeted attacks on civilians and have failed to comply with international humanitarian and human rights law.
The humanitarian situation also deteriorated sharply. Within the first four weeks of the crisis, almost 500,000 persons were displaced within South Sudan and around 74,300 people had crossed into neighboring countries. These numbers continued to grow, with total displacement by the end of February 2014 reaching 900,000 persons, some 167,000 of whom crossed into neighboring countries. The number of civilians who had tipped into the “acute” or “emergency” categories of food insecurity had increased from 1.1 million to 3.2 million. In addition, some 500,000 displaced persons were in urgent need of food aid, which meant that the survival of 3.7 million South Sudanese was in question.
UNMISS reinforced
When the fighting erupted in Juba and spread throughout the greater Upper Nile region, tens of thousands of civilians fled from areas where large numbers of killings were taking place, including to escape targeted attacks against particular communities, and arrived at UNMISS compounds in Juba, Bor, Akobo, Bentiu, Malakal and Melut to seek refuge. The Mission opened its gates and its military engineers, working with humanitarian partners, quickly prepared sites in the compounds for the protection of civilians, despite having minimum facilities to accommodate them. Since then, as many as 85,000 civilians had sought protection in eight UNMISS compounds across the country.
The influx of so many civilians into United Nations premises and their settlement there was an unprecedented development, one that presented unique challenges and placed a huge strain on Mission resources. UNMISS strived to ensure adequate security for the protection sites in its bases and worked with humanitarian partners to provide sufficient assistance to displaced persons.
In order to give UNMISS adequate capacity to cope with the crisis, the Security Council by its resolution 2132 (2013) of 24 December, approved Secretary-General’s recommendation to temporarily increase the overall troop and police strength of the Mission. The interim troop level of UNMISS was raised to 12,500 personnel and the police component to 1,323 personnel, including appropriate formed police units, through temporary transfers from existing peacekeeping operations through inter-mission cooperation, as well as, if needed and subject to further Council consideration, complementary force, and asset generation.
This timely approval by the Security Council of the surge capacity for UNMISS military and police components under the inter-mission cooperation arrangements played a critical role in enhancing the Mission’s capacity to save lives and protect civilians from further harm.
Reporting to the Security Council on 6 March, the Secretary-General emphasized that it was important to keep this surge capacity deployed for at least 12 months. He argued that this one-year period would fit with the likely timeline of internally displaced persons returning only after a peace process has been agreed upon and leave the dry months in the latter half of 2014 for stabilization in return areas. The troop ceiling could be reviewed at the end of the 12-month period and be closely linked to the outcome of the political negotiations between the parties.
The Secretary-General believed that in light of the recent developments, UNMISS must temporarily reprioritize its activities and shift from a stand dedicated to peacebuilding, State-building and the extension of State authority, to one of strict impartiality in its relations with both parties. This shift was necessary to enable liaison and coordination activities with both parties for the effective implementation of the Mission’s redefined priority tasks in conflict-affected areas.
The main focus of the Mission, the Secretary-General suggested, should be on the protection of civilians, human rights, and contributing to the creation of security conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance, as requested and within the capability, in the areas most affected by the conflict. The Mission will protect those in need, within its means. The Mission’s impartiality going forward would be the sine qua non of all its actions throughout the country as long as the conflict persisted.
On 27 May 2014, the Security Council, by unanimously adopting its resolution 2155 (2014) reprioritized the mandate of UNMISS towards the protection of civilians, human rights monitoring and support for the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and increased the Mission’s troop strength to 12,500 and a police component to up to 1,323 personnel, as requested in the Secretary-General’s 6 March report. It also authorized the deployment within UNMISS of an Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) task force to support the protection of civilians and the Monitoring and Verification Mechanism (MVM) established pursuant to the 23 January 2014 Cessation of Hostilities Agreement.
These products are the results of academic research and intended for general information and awareness only. They include the best information publicly available at the time of publication. Routine efforts are made to update the materials; however, readers are encouraged to check the specific mission sites at https://unmiss.unmissions.org or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss.
The UNMISS military, as mandated under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, has a role to support and assist in creating a safe and secure environment that will facilitate the implementation of the mission’s mandate and establish conditions necessary for stability in South Sudan.
The military aims to deter potential aggressors from harming the people of South Sudan and to support the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and other security agencies in protecting civilians. As far as possible, within its mandate, UNMISS armed forces assist the SPLA by encouraging, facilitating and demonstrating professionalism in its operations.
The key tasks of the UNMISS military are:
Supporting the South Sudanese government and the SPLA in conflict prevention, mitigation and resolution and in the creation of a stable and secure environment;
Physical protection of civilians under imminent threat of physical violence, particularly when the Government is not providing such security;
Providing support to security sector reform and the Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration process;
Facilitating access and providing protection for civilian humanitarian and development actors;
Assisting in efforts to build the capacity of the SPLA and other security agencies;
Build relations and support South Sudanese communities through civil-military activities in areas such as health, veterinary practice and engineering; and
Protecting of UN personnel, installations, and equipment.
UN Police (UNPOL) is vital in helping to promote peace and security. UN Police works to maintain public safety and security within UNMISS protection of civilians sites in accordance with international human rights standards, assisting with a wide range of activities.
UNPOL aims are to:
Protection of civilians;
Monitoring, and investigating human rights;
Creating the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance; and
Supporting the Implementation of the Agreement (To carry out, within its capabilities).
These products are the results of academic research and intended for general information and awareness only. They include the best information publicly available at the time of publication. Routine efforts are made to update the materials; however, readers are encouraged to check the specific mission sites at https://unmiss.unmissions.org or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss.
The Mission protects, monitors, investigates, and reports on human rights violations and abuses with a strong focus on the most vulnerable, such as women and children, and those who are subjected to sexual and gender-based violence.
The Mission is committed to helping build durable peace in South Sudan. It does this by working as an impartial partner at a national and sub-national level with political, religious, traditional and community leaders as well as at grassroots with communities and individuals across the country. The priorities are to advance reconciliation efforts, to strengthen conflict resolution mechanisms, and build national cohesion as well as to engage in regional and international peace initiatives.
UNMISS believes that the path to peace for South Sudan is political rather than through violence. The guns must be silenced so that genuine dialogue and reconciliation can take place and enduring peace be achieved for the people of this country.
Assessing the Effectiveness of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) — EPON effectivepeaceops.net “The report focuses on the most recent period of UNMISS’ mandate (2014-18), aiming to provide a “snapshot” of the mission’s work across its four main mandate areas: the protection of civilians (PoC), facilitation of humanitarian delivery, promotion of…”
These products are the results of academic research and intended for general information and awareness only. They include the best information publicly available at the time of publication. Routine efforts are made to update the materials; however, readers are encouraged to check the specific mission sites at https://unmiss.unmissions.org or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss.
These products are the results of academic research and intended for general information and awareness only. They include the best information publicly available at the time of publication. Routine efforts are made to update the materials; however, readers are encouraged to check the specific mission sites at https://unmiss.unmissions.org or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss.
These products are the results of academic research and intended for general information and awareness only. They include the best information publicly available at the time of publication. Routine efforts are made to update the materials; however, readers are encouraged to check the specific mission sites at https://unmiss.unmissions.org or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss.
Protect the Civilian Population, by all necessary means within its capacity and areas of deployment. This includes deterring violence through proactive deployments and active patrolling with particular attention to internally displaced persons (IDPs) including those in PoC sites and refugee camps, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders. Other PoC activities mentioned in the mandate include:
Implementation of a mission-wide early warning strategy and specific information management mechanisms for responding to threats against the civilian population;
Deter and prevent sexual and gender-based violence;
Prevent and mitigate inter-communal conflict through mediation and community engagement;
Support community violence reduction programs that engage women and youth; Facilitate the safe and voluntary return of displaced persons
Creating the conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance to contribute, in close coordination with humanitarian actors;
Supporting the Implementation of the Revitalised Agreement and the Peace Process: to carry out, within its capabilities, the following tasks in support of the implementation of the Revitalised Agreement and the peace process, and recognizing that the tasks outlined in paragraph 10 are essential to creating an enabling environment for implementation of the Revitalised Agreement and the peace process;
Monitoring and investigating human rights: to monitor, investigate, verify, and report immediately, publicly, and regularly on abuses and violations of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law, including those that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity, specifically and publicly on violations and abuses committed against children and women, including those involving all forms of sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict.
Previous Security Council Resolutions relevant to UNMISS can be found at:
These products are the results of academic research and intended for general information and awareness only. They include the best information publicly available at the time of publication. Routine efforts are made to update the materials; however, readers are encouraged to check the specific mission sites at https://unmiss.unmissions.org or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss.
Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG): Mr. David Shearer (New Zealand)
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG), Political Affairs: Mr. Moustapha Soumaré (Mali)
Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (DSRSG), Humanitarian Affairs and UN Resident Coordinator, Humanitarian Coordinator and Resident Representative of UNDP: Mr. Alain Noudéhou (Benin)
These products are the results of academic research and intended for general information and awareness only. They include the best information publicly available at the time of publication. Routine efforts are made to update the materials; however, readers are encouraged to check the specific mission sites at https://unmiss.unmissions.org or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss.
Administrative divisions: 10 states; Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Upper Nile, Warrap, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Western Equatoria; note – in 2015, the creation of 28 new states was announced and in 2017 four additional; following the February 2020 peace agreement, the country was reportedly again reorganized into the 10 original states, plus 2 administrative areas, Pibor and Ruweng, and 1 special administrative status area, Abyei; this latest administrative revision has not yet been vetted by the US Board on Geographic Names.
Constitution:
history: previous 2005 (preindependence); latest signed 7 July 2011, effective 9 July 2011 (Transitional Constitution of the Republic of South Sudan, 2011).
amendments: proposed by the National Legislature or by the president of the republic; passage requires submission of the proposal to the Legislature at least one month prior to consideration, approval by at least two-thirds majority vote in both houses of the Legislature, and assent of the president; amended 2013, 2015, 2018.
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011); First Vice President Riek MACHAR Teny Dhurgon (since 22 February 2020); Vice President James Wani IGGA (since 26 April 2016); Vice President TABAN Deng Gai (since 22 February 2020); Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng Chol GARANG de Mabior (since 22 February 2020); Vice President Hussein ABDELBAGI Ayii (since 22 February 2020); note – the president is both chief of state and head of government.
head of government: President Salva KIIR Mayardit (since 9 July 2011); First Vice President Taban Deng GAI (since 26 July 2016); Vice President James Wani IGGA (since 26 April 2016); Vice President TABAN Deng Gai (since 22 February 2020); Vice President Rebecca Nyandeng Chol GARANG de Mabior (since 22 February 2020); Vice President Hussein ABDELBAGI Ayii (since 22 February 2020); note – the president is both chief of state and head of government.
cabinet: National Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Transitional National Legislative Assembly.
elections/appointments: president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a 4-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11-15 April 2010 (next election scheduled for 2015 postponed to 2018 and again to 2021).
election results: Salva KIIR Mayardit elected president; percent of vote – Salva KIIR Mayardit (SPLM) 93%, Lam AKOL (SPLM-DC) 7%.
Legislative branch:
description: bicameral National Legislature consists of:
Council of States, established by presidential decree in August 2011 (50 seats; 20 former members of the Council of States and 30 appointed representatives).
Transitional National Legislative Assembly, established on 4 August 2016, in accordance with the August 2015 Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (400 seats; 170 members elected in April 2010, 96 members of the former National Assembly, 66 members appointed after independence, and 68 members added as a result of the 2016 Agreement); the TNLA will be expanded to 550 members after the transitional government forms.
elections:
Council of States – established and members appointed 1 August 2011.
National Legislative Assembly – last held 11-15 April 2010 but did not take office until July 2011; current parliamentary term extended until 2021).
election results:
Council of States – percent of vote by party – NA; seats by party – SPLM 20, unknown 30; composition – men 44, women 6, percent of women 12%.
National Legislative Assembly – percent of vote by party – NA; seats by party – SPLM 251, DCP 10, independent 6, unknown 133; composition – men 291, women 109, percent of women 27.3%; note – total National Legislature percent of women 25.6%.
Judicial branch:
highest courts: Supreme Court of South Sudan (consists of the chief and deputy chief justices, 9 other justices and normally organized into panels of 3 justices, except when sitting as a Constitutional panel of all 9 justices chaired by the chief justice).
judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the president upon proposal of the Judicial Service Council, a 9-member judicial and administrative body; justice tenure set by the National Legislature.
subordinate courts: national level – Courts of Appeal; High Courts; County Courts; state level – High Courts; County Courts; customary courts; other specialized courts and tribunals.
These products are the results of academic research and intended for general information and awareness only. They include the best information publicly available at the time of publication. Routine efforts are made to update the materials; however, readers are encouraged to check the specific mission sites at https://unmiss.unmissions.org or https://peacekeeping.un.org/en/mission/unmiss.
