The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has intensified security patrols around a major displacement camp adjacent to its peacekeeping base, responding to growing fears of renewed civil conflict across the country. According to UNMISS Police Commissioner Christine Fossen, peacekeepers are now conducting round-the-clock patrols to reassure and protect the tens of thousands of displaced people sheltering in the camp. “Through our engagements with communities and displaced persons, we understand their increasing concerns about safety and the future,” Fossen said. “Our presence aims to help them feel safer during this tense period.”
The increased patrols follow a surge in violence between forces loyal to South Sudan’s two dominant political factions—those aligned with President Salva Kiir and those with First Vice President Riek Machar—despite the ceasefire outlined in the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS).
While the 2018 peace agreement had led to a relative calm and a reduction in large-scale hostilities, the current resurgence in fighting threatens to undo years of fragile progress. In 2020, UNMISS officially handed over responsibility for protection of civilian sites to the South Sudanese government, transitioning them into conventional camps as the security situation was believed to be improving. However, recent clashes in multiple regions and a sharp escalation in political tensions in the capital, Juba, have prompted fears that the country is once again sliding toward full-scale civil war.
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, has been plagued by instability since gaining independence in 2011. A power struggle between Kiir and Machar in 2013 triggered a brutal conflict that killed an estimated 400,000 people and displaced millions before the 2018 peace deal temporarily halted the violence. UNMISS has reaffirmed its commitment to civilian protection, calling on all parties to respect the peace agreement and de-escalate the situation. “We are working closely with local communities and leaders to monitor threats and support peace efforts,” said Fossen.
Observers warn that unless the implementation of key provisions of the 2018 agreement—such as unified security forces, a new constitution, and democratic elections—is accelerated, South Sudan could plunge into another devastating war.
