South Sudan&

The UN Security Council imposed an arms embargo on South Sudan in July 2018 to stop weapons from fueling its civil war, which had led to thousands of deaths and severe human rights violations. The arms embargo and related sanctions have been renewed annually, most recently extended to May 31, 2026.

According to South Sudan, the extension undermines the nation's delicate peace efforts and complicates the unification of its armed forces.

The embargo, first imposed in 2018 following years of ethnic conflict that the UN estimates has claimed nearly 400,000 lives, marks its seventh renewal. It also includes targeted sanctions such as asset freezes and travel bans on individuals.

Vivacell and its mother company, BVI, moved to court in 2018, lodging 17 claims against South Sudan and demanding $2.9 billion (around Sh375.1 billion) in compensation.

Anin Ngot Ngot Mou, undersecretary in the Ministry of Health, described the rollout as a game changer in the fight against two of the country's leading causes of child mortality.

International efforts to end the conflict have included a United Nations (UN) embargo on arms transfers to the parties to the conflict, which expires on May 31.

The surge in violence was triggered by clashes at the border and exchanges of fire between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and an opposition group, forcing many residents to flee. A majority had left the area by May 12 this year.

Truckers argue that drivers from Kenya and other neighbouring countries frequently find themselves imprisoned over minor infractions, which is largely attributed to poor road infrastructure in South Sudan.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned of a further deterioration in the human rights situation following a sharp increase in hostilities, arbitrary arrests, and hate speech in the country.

The resulting impact of the prolonged conflict has been the displacement of people; currently, more than 60,000 have been reportedly displaced from Upper Nile state.

The president, it added, "continues to carry out his presidential duties with vigour, commitment, sound health and complete fitness."

Aid workers are now caught between two impossible choices: send supplies into areas where they might be looted, or hold them back and risk running out altogether.

This means the Security Council has authorised the peacekeeping mission to "use all necessary means" to implement its mandate, including the protection of civilians.

MSF said on Saturday that at least seven people had been killed and 20 wounded in South Sudan's Fangak county when a bomb was dropped on the pharmacy, burning it to the ground and damaging the hospital, followed by another drone attack on Old Fangak, a town in the Greater Upper Nile region.

The high-level visit to Juba came amid mounting tensions and stalled progress in the implementation of the 2018 accord.

IGAD's Executive Secretary Workneh Gebeyehu urged all actors to avoid unilateral actions and respect the framework of the 2018 accord, still regarded as South Sudan's best shot at sustainable peace.

In a statement, the organisation condemned the attack, which began at approximately 4:30 am when two helicopter gunships dropped a bomb on the hospital’s pharmacy, setting it ablaze. The aircraft then continued to fire on the town of Old Fangak for around 30 minutes.

The mission's renewal reflects a sobering reality: the country's internal fragility continues to pose a threat to regional peace and security.

Human Rights Watch estimates that 17 individuals remain incarcerated in Juba without formal charges.

Machar's detention under house arrest, for trying to stir up a rebellion through his supposed support for the White Army militia in Upper Nile, has ignited international fears of renewed conflict along ethnic lines.

The team is expected to work closely with the U.S. Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security to ensure a "legal, orderly, and dignified return process."

UN Special Representative Nicholas Haysom warned that the current conditions are "darkly reminiscent of the 2013 and 2016 conflicts, which took over 400,000 lives," referring to the brutal civil wars that followed South Sudan's independence in 2011 and devastated the young nation.

The appointment comes after the abrupt dismissal of former minister Ramadan Abdalla Goc earlier this week.

The diplomatic wrangle with US comes at a time when the government is also facing internal political strain over the continuing house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar.

Experts have warned that the cuts - including the cancellation of more than 90% of USAID's contracts - could cost millions of lives in the coming years due to malnutrition, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other diseases.

South Sudan is a member of IGAD, a regional bloc comprising eight countries from the Horn of Africa, the Nile Valley and the Great Lakes Region.

US President Donald Trump's administration has taken aggressive measures to increase immigration enforcement, including the repatriation of people deemed to be in the US illegally.

US President Donald Trump's administration has taken aggressive measures to ramp up immigration enforcement, including the repatriation of people deemed to be in the US illegally.

Behind the diplomatic language lies a tense and rapidly deteriorating political crisis that risks dragging the region back into conflict.

The AU delegation's flight arrived at Juba's airport on Wednesday afternoon with a "Council of the Wise" which included former Burundian President Domitien Ndayizeye and former Kenyan judge Effie Owuor.

Mudavadi also acknowledged that the ongoing crises, including the South Sudan conflict, Al-Shabaab threats, and instability in Marsabit, have delayed the progress of the government’s Shirika Plan.

As questions swirl over the clarity and coordination of Odinga's special envoy role, one thing remains clear—Juba is not amused.

In a statement issued from Addis Ababa on Monday, the AUC chief expressed "solidarity with the Government and people of South Sudan," reaffirming the African Union's "unwavering commitment to dialogue, reconciliation, and lasting peace."

He warned that the Horn of Africa is already in turmoil and cannot withstand another conflict, urging immediate de-escalation.

Now a decade on, Kiir's administration has detained Machar, his longtime rival, threatening once again to ignite conflict in an impoverished country in the middle of an increasingly fragile region.

Reports that Machar – a long-time rival of President Salva Kiir – was arrested on Wednesday prompted international calls for restraint. Kenya sent its former prime minister, Raila Odinga, to defuse tensions.

First Vice President Riek Machar was put under house arrest in the capital Juba on Wednesday, in effect voiding a 2018 peace deal that ended a five-year civil war.

It is understood that Raila is set to travel to South Sudan on Friday to help prevent further conflict in the country.

Machar rejoined the SPLA in 2002, and after a 2005 peace deal that ended civil war and established southern autonomy, he became vice-president of the South, retaining the position after South Sudan's independence in 2011 until his sacking in 2013.

Foreign governments have warned that civil war could break out again in South Sudan following weeks of escalating tensions that originated in fighting between government troops and a militia that has historically been close to Machar's forces.

Dr Machar and his wife, Angelina Teny, were placed under house arrest on Wednesday night, an action that now threatens peace in the fragile nation.

IGAD's Executive Secretary, Workneh Gebeyehu, said such developments undermine the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan.

President William Ruto on Thursday said he had called President Kiir to discuss the situation leading to Machar’s arrest and detention.

Civil society activists, the United Nations, and the United States have called for restraint and the reversal of the action following reports of the arrest.

According to UNICEF, 40,000 cases of cholera were reported from late September to March 18, 2025 making it the worst outbreak the country has faced in 20 years.

In a letter addressed to the U.N., African Union and the IGAD regional bloc, Machar said Uganda's military intervention in South Sudan had violated a 2018 peace deal, which ended a brutal five-year civil war.

This conflict can be traced back to historical tensions between the Nuer and Dinka communities, worsened by the 1991 split of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM), a political party.

Amid cabinet reshuffles, arrests of senior officials in Juba, and a resurgence of militia activity in Upper Nile State, the risk of a renewed civil war is rising sharply.

A South Sudanese general was among around 27 soldiers killed on March 7 when a U.N. helicopter trying to evacuate them from Nasir came under attack.

Mayen told reporters that the government has taken all necessary steps to restore order following last week's arrests of several opposition and military officials

The arrest of officials including a deputy military chief and two ministers allied to Machar in the capital Juba last week, coupled with a wave of deadly clashes around a strategic northern town, are widely seen as jeopardising the peace deal.