U.S., Norway, and UK Urge Renewed South Sudan Peace Efforts
A statement released yesterday by the United States, Norway, and the United Kingdom urged redoubled efforts to implement the 2018 peace agreement, including negotiating security reforms. South Sudan’s pre-transitional period is set to end in November (Anadolu Agency)
Gunmen Kill UN Peacekeeper and Six Civilians in South Sudan
An attack along the border between Sudan and South Sudan today killed a UN peacekeeper and six civilians in the disputed Abyei region (Reuters)
UN Urges South Sudan Peace
Today, on the eighth anniversary of South Sudanese independence, the United Nations urged a peaceful resolution to the civil war in South Sudan, which has caused Africa’s largest displacement crisis (United Nations)
In South Sudan, Violence Kills One Hundred Civilians
The United Nations reported that a fresh wave of violence in South Sudan’s Central Equatoria region has killed over one hundred civilians and prompted 76,000 to flee their homes (Bloomberg)
UN Extends Arms Embargo on South Sudan
The UN Security Council voted to extend sanctions, including an arms embargo, against South Sudan for another year, citing the need for rival political groups to bolster a peace agreement reached last year (Voice of America)
South Sudanese President Calls for Additional Delay in Formation of Unity Government
President Salva Kiir said the formation of a unity government in South Sudan should be delayed by at least a year because the upcoming rainy season would pose challenges for the movement and integration of forces within the six-month delay that was recently proposed (Reuters)
South Sudan Rivals Delay Formation of a Unity Government
Following a round of peace talks in Addis Ababa, South Sudan’s warring parties agreed to delay the formation of a power-sharing government by six months (Al Jazeera)
South Sudanese President and Rebel Leader to Hold Talks
South Sudanese President Salva Kiir will meet with his main rival, rebel leader Riek Machar, in Addis Ababa today ahead of a May 12 deadline to install a power-sharing government, part of a September 2018 peace agreement (Agence France-Presse)
U.S. Ambassador Criticizes South Sudan Lobbying Deal
U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan Thomas Hushek, along with analysts and human rights activists, criticized a new $3.7 million deal between South Sudan’s government and U.S.-based lobbyists. The lobbying firm was hired to help block the creation of a special war crimes court (Voice of America)
South Sudan Pays Lobbyists to Improve Ties With United States
South Sudan reportedly signed a two-year contract to pay a U.S.-based lobby firm $3.7 million to improve its relationship with the Trump administration and to block the establishment of a long-delayed court to hold perpetrators accountable for crimes committed during the country’s five-year civil war (Associated Press)
Thousands in South Sudan Without Food, Clean Water
Officials in South Sudan’s Yei River State reported that as many as six thousand people who fled their homes as a result of recent fighting between government forces and the National Salvation Front do not have access to food and clean water (Voice of America)
Report: South Sudan Taking in EU-Made Arms
A UK-based conflict arms researcher accused Uganda of skirting an EU arms embargo on South Sudan by purchasing weapons from Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia and then transferring them to South Sudanese government forces and allied armed groups (Voice of America)
South Sudan’s information minister rejected the findings, saying “we don’t even have money to buy arms” (Associated Press)
UN Report Finds Violation of South Sudan Arms Embargo
A UN panel found violations of the arms embargo imposed on South Sudan, stating in an interim report that Sudan and Uganda deployed troops to South Sudan. The panel added that it is investigating “other allegations of transport of weapons into South Sudan, in violation of the arms embargo” (Agence France-Presse)
South Sudanese Rebel Leader Returns to Juba
Rebel leader Riek Machar returned to the capital of Juba to take part in a peace ceremony after signing a peace deal with President Salva Kiir in Ethiopia last month. The agreement formally ended the country’s five-year civil war and will reinstate Machar as vice president (Al Jazeera)
Food Aid Blocked by Violence in South Sudan
According to the World Food Programme, fighting in South Sudan is preventing food deliveries, indicating that the peace deal signed in September is not holding (Reuters)
Study: 382,000 Killed in South Sudan War
At least 382,000 people have died in South Sudan since 2013 due to conflict, according to a new study funded by the U.S. State Department. The total includes deaths due to circumstances related to the conflict, such as disease outbreaks and malnutrition. A South Sudanese envoy to the United States disputed the findings, estimating a death toll of twenty thousand (Washington Post)
South Sudan Declared Most Dangerous Country for Aid Workers
For the third consecutive year, South Sudan has been labeled the most violent country in the world to deliver humanitarian aid (Norwegian Refugee Council)
South Sudan’s President Pardons Rebel Leader
President Salva Kiir has pardoned former Vice President Riek Machar following a power-sharing agreement signed by the rival parties on August 5. Kiir also granted an amnesty to “other estranged groups who waged war” against the government (Sudan Tribune)
South Sudanese Rivals Sign Power-Sharing Deal
Under the deal signed by both sides yesterday, President Salva Kiir will remain in office, rebel leader Riek Machar will return to the vice presidency, and top offices will be distributed among the rival parties, as well as six other groups (Associated Press)
South Sudan Rival Leaders Reach Power-Sharing Deal
The South Sudanese government and the country’s main rebel group struck a deal to share political power that observers hope will bring an end to a five-year civil war. Other armed resistance groups did not sign the agreement (Associated Press)
UN Supports Arms Embargo on South Sudan
The UN Security Council backed a U.S.-drafted arms embargo on South Sudan that would last through 2019 and includes asset freezes and travel restrictions for two top military officials (Voice of America)
Parliament Extends South Sudan President’s Term
South Sudan’s parliament voted to extend President Salva Kiir’s term until 2021, a move opposition groups have claimed would be illegal (Reuters)
UN Report Documents South Sudan Government Atrocities
South Sudanese government troops and allied forces killed at least 232 civilians and carried out mass rapes of women and girls in attacks on opposition-held villages in the country’s north in April and May, according to a UN investigation (Washington Post)
South Sudan Rebels Reject Peace Proposal
Rebels in South Sudan rejected a peace plan that would have reinstated insurgent leader Riek Machar as vice president, claiming it would leave President Salva Kiir with too much power (Reuters)
South Sudan’s Government, Opposition Forces Accuse Each Other of Attacks
The government military SPLA accused rebels of attacking Maban in Upper Nile state, killing eighteen civilians and wounding forty-four others. The opposition SPLA-IO said their forces were “heavily bombarded” by the military in the Maban area and denied attacking civilians (Reuters)