United States Sends Eight Detainees to South Sudan
The Trump administration deported eight men to South Sudan after a Supreme Court decision lifted restrictions on sending migrants to countries that are not their nation of origin (PBS)
Officials reported that the men had been convicted of violent crimes; only one has ties to South Sudan, while the others are migrants from Cuba, Laos, Mexico, Myanmar, and Vietnam (Guardian)
U.S. Supreme Court Permits Deportation of Migrants to South Sudan
The Supreme Court allowed President Trump’s emergency request to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their homeland, including places like South Sudan, with minimal notice (CNN)
Escalating Violence Pushing Peace Deal Towards Collapse
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan reported that the country’s 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement is at risk of collapse as surging military offensives by the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces, as well as suspected foreign military presence from Ugandan forces, are contributing to wider destabilization of the country (UNHCR)
Famine Looming in South Sudan’s Upper Nile Region
In a joint statement, the World Food Programme, the UN Children’s Fund, and the Food and Agriculture Organization reported that eleven out of thirteen counties in South Sudan’s Upper Nile region are facing famine; thirty-two thousand people are currently experiencing food conditions that are “catastrophic”, and 57 percent of the population faces acute food insecurity (AP)
UN Braces for Mass Displacement as South Sudan Conflict Escalates
Amid escalating conflict between the South Sudanese Army and rebel groups, the United Nations Refugee Agency reported that approximately sixty-five thousand people have been displaced within the nation, while another one hundred thousand have fled to neighboring countries; the UN warned it is bracing for a significantly larger wave of displacement if the fighting does not stop (AP)
UN Renews Arms Embargo on South Sudan
Amid rising political tensions and the growing threat of civil war, the UN Security Council voted to renew the U.S.-sponsored arms embargo and extend sanctions on South Sudan; the embargo, along with travel bans and asset freezes targeting individuals on the UN sanctions blacklist, has been extended until May 31, 2026 (AP)
UN Decries Deliberate Attack on South Sudan Hospital
The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan labeled the bombing of a hospital in Fangak county as a deliberate act and a potential war crime, amid escalating clashes between national forces and ethnic militias (Reuters)
Meanwhile, a drone strike attributed to the RSF ignited major fires at fuel depots in Port Sudan used for South Sudanese crude exports; the attack disrupted shipments just days after exports had resumed, threatening over 90 percent of South Sudan’s revenue (Radio Tamazuj)
South Sudan Resumes Oil Exports After Pipeline Repairs
South Sudan restarted crude oil exports through Sudan’s port following repairs to a pipeline damaged during Sudan’s internal conflict, restoring a vital source of foreign exchange for Juba (Business Insider Africa)
MSF Hospital in Old Fangak Bombed, Killing Seven
An aerial bombing destroyed a medical facility run by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), the only hospital and pharmacy in Old Fangak, killing at least seven people and injuring twenty, in what MSF condemned as a violation of international law (Reuters)
UN Extends South Sudan Peacekeeping Mission Amid Rising Tensions
The UN Security Council extended its peacekeeping mission in South Sudan by nine days as tensions continue to escalate between President Salva Kiir and detained Vice President Riek Machar (Eastleigh Voice)
Communal Violence in South Sudan Leaves Fifteen Dead
Clashes between rival communities in South Sudan resulted in fifteen deaths and sixteen injuries, highlighting ongoing ethnic tensions in the region (VON)
Meanwhile, Allies of South Sudanese President Salva Kiir are reportedly orchestrating a plan to remove Vice President Riek Machar from office, including potential legal charges, threatening to further destabilize the political balance in the country (East African)
South Sudan Opposition Accuses Government of Genocide Against Opponents
South Sudanese opposition leaders accused President Salva Kiir’s government of committing genocide against political and ethnic opponents, alleging mass killings and systematic targeting by government forces; they urged international intervention to prevent further atrocities, while the government rejected the claims (Arab News)
South Sudanese Forces Recapture Key Town
The South Sudanese army regained control of Nasir, a strategic town in Upper Nile state, from the White Army militia; the town had been lost in March during clashes that led to the house arrest of Vice President Riek Machar, whom the White Army supports (Reuters)
U.S.-South Sudan Deportation Talks
South Sudan is sending envoys to Washington in the coming days to coordinate scheduled deportations, the vice president’s office said; the United States recently suspended visa issuance for all South Sudanese passport holders after the country refused to accept a deportee, saying he was a national of the Democratic Republic of Congo (Bloomberg)
South Sudan Replaces Foreign Minister Amid Diplomatic Dispute
President Salva Kiir dismissed Foreign Minister Ramadan Abdallah Goc and appointed his deputy, Monday Semaya Kumba, as his replacement; meanwhile, the United States and several European governments called on South Sudan to release Vice President Riek Machar from house arrest (Reuters;Bloomberg)
Vice President Ousted by Rivals Amid Arrest and Party Turmoil
The SPLM-IO voted to replace opposition leader Riek Machar with Minister of Peacebuilding Stephen Kuol Par, two weeks after Machar’s detention by government forces; party members loyal to Machar boycotted the vote and accused the new faction of conspiring with President Kiir (AP)
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme warned that more than seven million South Sudanese are facing emergency hunger levels, with more than one hundred thousand displaced and over a hundred tons of food supplies looted amid ongoing violence in the Upper Nile state (Arab News)
Human Rights Watch also reported that South Sudan’s military used improvised air-dropped incendiary weapons in Upper Nile state during a series of operations conducted in March, killing at least fifty-eight civilians and injuring dozens more (HRW)
United States Pulls South Sudanese Visas
Washington is canceling all visas from South Sudan passport holders after the country refused to accept deportees in a “timely manner,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said (NYT)
The country is run by a power-sharing government that has seen infighting in recent weeks, prompting warnings of a return to civil war (AP)
Uganda’s Museveni Arrives in South Sudan Amid Political Crisis
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni arrived in Juba for discussions with South Sudanese officials, aiming to prevent a resurgence of civil war following the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar; Museveni’s visit underscores regional efforts to stabilize South Sudan amid escalating tensions (Reuters)
African Union Mediators Arrive in South Sudan to Prevent Renewed Conflict
African Union (AU) mediators, including former Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye and former Kenyan judge Effie Owuor, arrived in Juba to facilitate talks aimed at averting a new civil war following the house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar; Machar’s party welcomed the mediation efforts, while the AU’s Peace and Security Council called for his immediate release (Reuters)
Kenya Sends Former PM Odinga to Defuse South Sudan Crisis
Kenya has dispatched former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a special envoy to South Sudan to mediate between President Salva Kiir and detained First Vice President Riek Machar, aiming to prevent the country from sliding back into civil war (Reuters)
South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar Arrested Amid Rebellion Accusations
South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar was placed under house arrest by the government, accused of attempting to incite a new rebellion; this development has raised international concerns about the potential collapse of the 2018 peace agreement and a return to civil war (France 24).
Authorities Reportedly Arrest South Sudanese Vice President Riek Machar
The U.S. Bureau of African Affairs and the United Nations voiced concerns over the reported arrest, with the UN mission in the country saying the move risked returning to “a state of war;” Machar’s party said that national security services detained him yesterday (NYT)
Vice President’s Party Pulls Out of Peace Process
The SPLM-IO announced it was withdrawing from the 2018 peace agreement that ended South Sudan’s civil war, a worrying sign of further political divide within the coalition that has governed the country since (The East African)
Additionally, the South Sudanese government revealed it had received reports of Sudanese armed groups operating in the north of the country; the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces allegedly arrested members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), the military wing of Vice President Riek Machar’s party, in White Nile state, raising fears of further instability in the north and a spillover of violence across borders (Sudan Tribune)
Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in South Sudan reported over fifty thousand people have been displaced since clashes first broke out between government forces and militias in February (The New Arab)
Twenty-One Dead After Airstrike in Nasir
At least twenty-one civilians were killed following an airstrike carried out by the South Sudanese airforce in the region of Nasir, where violence had recently erupted between government forces and the White Army, a militia affiliated with Vice President Riek Machar (Reuters,Radio Tamazuj)
The government later urged civilians to leave the area, announcing it would conduct further airstrikes moving forward (ABC News)
Separately, South Sudan acknowledged the presence of Ugandan “technical and support units” in its capital of Juba, following an initial denial of any such deployment (Radio Tamazuj)
East African Bloc Demands Release of Officials
The Intergovernmental Authority on Development, a bloc of East African nations, called on South Sudan to release detained officials (most notably allies of Vice President Riek Machar) as it sought to de-escalate tensions in the country (Reuters)