UN warns of growing risks to civilians and democratic transition as violence and impunity persist in South Sudan

Attachments • Download Report (PDF | 1.04 MB | Annex: CONTINUING VIOLENCE AND THE PERSISTENT PROTECTION GAP (September 2026)) JUBA/GENEVA (10 September 2026) – The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has concluded its 14th visit to the country, expressing deep concern that renewed violence, political tensions, shrinking civic space, entrenched corruption and persistent impunity continue to place civilians and the country's political transition at risk. During its four-day visit, the Commission engaged with Government authorities, political and security actors, civil society representatives, victims and survivors, humanitarian and international partners, members of the legal community and other stakeholders. The Commission Chair, Yasmin Sooka, undertook a field visit to Bor, where she met with Government authorities, civil society and humanitarian actors, as well as survivors of the recent fighting in the northern part of Jonglei State. Survivors, including women and girls, recounted harrowing experiences of sexual violence, killings, displacement and separation from their families. Several described being left without access to medical, psychosocial or other essential support, including survivors with serious and urgent health needs. “Visit after visit, we continue to hear from people who bear the consequences of violence, displacement, insecurity and the failures of those with political and security responsibilities to prevent and address those harms. What troubles us most is that we continue to hear similar stories of suffering – families uprooted from their homes, communities living in fear, women and girls facing serious violations, and people struggling to access even the most basic services. The patterns have changed little, while the human cost continues to grow. South Sudanese people deserve better than to have their lives shaped by recurring cycles of violence and uncertainty,” said Chairperson Yasmin Sooka. The Commission remains concerned about killings, displacement, attacks affecting civilians and civilian infrastructure, disruption of humanitarian operations and growing insecurity for humanitarian personnel. These developments underscore the urgent need for all parties to comply fully with their obligations under international human rights and humanitarian law and take concrete measures to protect civilians. The humanitarian needs facing South Sudan are enormous, but funding is falling far short of what is required, forcing humanitarian partners to scale back assistance even as needs continue to rise. Continued support for humanitarian operations, and for UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and its civilian protection mandate, is critical. The people of South Sudan cannot afford for the international response to retreat while the crisis is deepening. The Commission is particularly concerned by the attack on a UNMISS patrol in Jonglei, in which two peacekeepers were killed and others injured, and calls for a prompt, thorough and independent investigation into the attack and for those responsible to be held accountable, in accordance with due process and international standards. The Commission's visit comes at a pivotal point as South Sudan prepares for planned December elections. In its August 2026 Advisory, At the Brink: Preventing Atrocity Crimes and Safeguarding South Sudan's Transition, the Commission warned that elections without essential safeguards and genuine and inclusive political dialogue could fuel renewed conflict and increase the risk of atrocity crimes. The Commission reiterates that the holding of elections must be accompanied by the conditions necessary to ensure meaningful political participation, respect for fundamental freedoms, civilian protection and confidence in the electoral process. “The political failures of South Sudan’s leaders continue to reproduce the conditions for damaging violence. Implementation of the Revitalized Agreement has stalled, but its objectives for delivering a transformed, democratic and peaceful South Sudan remain as relevant as ever, and must be protected. Even as the country heads for elections, political and civic space has narrowed, while many of the safeguards and conditions for peaceful and credible polls are still missing. South Sudanese do have a right to vote; that right must be protected by ensuring they can participate freely, compete fairly, and resolve any electoral disputes through credible adjudication. These are the safeguards that will prevent an election from becoming a trigger for violence and disruption,” said Commissioner Barney Afako. The Commission reiterated its call for genuine and inclusive political dialogue involving all relevant political actors, including First Vice President Riek Machar's SPLM-IO, holdout groups, civil society, women and youth. Such dialogue must be meaningful, sustained and aimed at resolving political differences through peaceful means. It also called for the release of detained political opponents unless they are promptly brought before an independent and impartial court in proceedings that fully comply with international human-rights standards and due process guarantees. In its engagements with the Government of South Sudan and the African Union, the Commission emphasized the urgent need for the establishment of the Hybrid Court for South Sudan and the full operationalization of the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing and the Compensation and Reparation Authority as essential elements of a credible national accountability process and to address continuing impunity for serious human rights violations. During the visit, the Commission specifically noted the lack of progress since its 2025 report on corruption and economic crimes, which documented how entrenched corruption and the diversion and misallocation of public resources undermine the rights of South Sudanese. The Commission is concerned that the limited implementation of the report’s recommendations leaves underlying governance and accountability risks largely unaddressed. “All these years, the Commission has documented serious violations and identified the same underlying problem: impunity. Too often, those responsible for grave abuses have not been held accountable, while institutions responsible for justice remain weak and under-resourced. One year after our report on corruption, there has also been little meaningful implementation of its recommendations, and in some areas the situation has deteriorated further. When violations go unpunished and public resources are diverted without consequence, impunity becomes entrenched, and that breeds violence. South Sudan cannot break this cycle without credible accountability, functioning justice institutions and transparent management of the country's resources,” said Commissioner Carlos Castresana Fernández. The Commission stressed that the consequences of weak governance and corruption are felt directly by the population, particularly as humanitarian needs increase and international humanitarian funding becomes increasingly constrained. It urged the Government to strengthen public financial management, ensure transparency and independent oversight of public revenues and direct national resources towards essential public services. It further stressed that public resources must be managed in the public interest and that allegations of corruption and economic crimes require effective, independent and transparent investigation and, where warranted, prosecution. The Commission called on the Government and all political and armed actors to urgently support de-escalation and civilian protection, ensure safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, create conditions for inclusive political dialogue, advance implementation of the Revitalized Agreement and strengthen credible accountability. It also called on regional and international partners, particularly the African Union, IGAD and the United Nations, to intensify preventive diplomacy and support an inclusive, consensus-based transition. The Commission urges these actors to use their influence to prevent further escalation and to ensure that commitments already made are translated into concrete action. “South Sudan still has a choice. The people of this country have waited long enough for peace, security and institutions that serve them. The country can move towards elections in a way that deepens division and conflict, or it can use this moment to restore political dialogue, protect civilians and put in place the safeguards needed for a peaceful and credible transition. What is needed now is genuine dialogue and political will – not another cycle of promises,” said Sooka. The Commission’s message is clear: the window to prevent further deterioration is narrowing. South Sudan’s leaders and institutions have an opportunity and a responsibility to take concrete steps to protect civilians, restore political dialogue, strengthen accountability and safeguard the country’s transition. The Commission will incorporate information gathered during the mission, including from its field visit to Bor, into its ongoing investigations and reporting to the United Nations Human Rights Council in February 2027. ENDS Background: The Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan is an independent body mandated by the United Nations Human Rights Council. First established in March 2016, it has been renewed annually since. The commissioners were appointed by the President of the UN Human Rights Council; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work as Commissioners. They are supported by a Secretariat based in Juba, South Sudan. More information about the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan can be found here. Follow the Commission on X (formerly Twitter) here, on Facebook here, and on YouTube here. For media queries, please contact: In Juba: Rajeev PS, Public Information Officer/Media Adviser, rajeev.puthenpurackalsunilkumar@un.org / +211912174078; in Geneva: Todd Pitman, Media Adviser, todd.pitman@un.org / +41766911761