I. Introduction
1. The present report is submitted pursuant to Security Council resolution 2729 (2024), by which the Council extended the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) to 30 April 2025 and requested the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the Mission’s mandate every 90 days. The report covers political and security developments, the humanitarian and human rights situation and progress towards the implementation of the Mission’s mandate between 16 October 2024 and 15 January 2025.
II. Political and economic developments
2. The Tumaini Initiative under way in Nairobi has yet to see a breakthrough. Some progress – mainly on institutional preparations for elections and the commitment by some stakeholders to political and civic space – was observed on the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan since the announcement in September 2024 of the two-year extension of the transitional period.
3. From 28 October to 4 November, a high-level delegation led by the Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Martin Elia Lomuro, visited heads of State in Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda to discuss the Tumaini initiative.
4. On 6 November, the President of Kenya, William Ruto met with the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir Mayardit, in Juba, where they resolved to involve the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to mobilize resources and international support for the Tumaini Initiative. In a joint communiqué, they directed the mediation team to conclude talks within two weeks. On the same day, Mr. Kiir dismissed the head of the government delegation, Albino Mathom Ayuel.
5. On 15 November, the Presidency appointed a new delegation led by a senior presidential adviser, Kuol Manyang, with Mr. Lomuro replacing the Minister of Information, Michael Makuei, as rapporteur. The talks resumed on 4 December but stalled due to disagreements over the agenda. The government delegation sought to revisit the previously agreed protocols and deconflict from the Revitalized Agreement, to which the opposition did not agree. On 14 December, the Kenyan deputy chief mediator proposed a compromise position and announced that the talks would be adjourned until January 2025. In his New Year’s message, the President confirmed that talks would resume on 6 January.
6. On 9 December, the leader of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLM/A-IO) Kitgwang faction, Simon Gatwech, expressed his readiness to participate in the negotiations on the Tumaini Initiative, stating that he had not yet been invited to do so. Meanwhile, the leader of the National Salvation Front (NAS), Thomas Cirillo, has reaffirmed his refusal to join the talks. Also on 9 January, the four opposition groups negotiating in the Tumaini Initiative – the Real SPLM, the South Sudan United Front/Army, the South Sudan United National Alliance and the National Salvation Front-Revolution Command Council – formed an umbrella group called the United People’s Alliance.
7. Following the extension on 13 September of the transitional period, civil society and regional partners, such as the African Union, IGAD and the reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, underlined the need to harmonize timelines and implement a realistic action plan to hold national elections in December 2026.
8. From 4 to 8 November, a delegation from the Government of South Africa visited South Sudan to discuss technical support to the peace process, with a focus on electoral support. The delegation noted the need for key political decisions and demonstrable actions by the Government, including funding of the electoral and constitution-making processes. From 10 to 13 November, the African Union Panel of the Wise, led by the Chair, Effie Owour, visited Juba to discuss implementation of the Revitalized Agreement and electoral preparations, and agreed to work closely with the Government.
9. On 14 November, the President and the First Vice President of South Sudan, Riek Machar, met to discuss the implementation of the Revitalized Agreement, as well as the economic challenges facing South Sudan. On 29 November, IGAD issued a statement reaffirming its support to the implementation of the peace process, emphasizing the need for coordination on the unification of forces, the constitution-making process and preparations for elections.
10. Government commitments to reconvene the joint task force – a coordination mechanism for support to the electoral and constitution-making processes that includes the African Union, IGAD, UNMISS and the Troika – have not yet been fulfilled. Progress on transitional security arrangements remains stagnant, with approximately 7,000 out of 53,000 Necessary Unified Forces graduates deployed. Training for the second batch and agreement on the middle command structure are pending.
11. On 5 December, the National Elections Commission adopted its code of conduct and regulations on observers, the media, party representatives and election campaigns. In a communiqué, commissioners pledged their commitment to determining the way forward on legal reform, voter registration, electoral timeline and operational challenges. The Commission held its first press conference on 11 December to share key electoral updates.
12. Also on 5 December, the Secretary of the National Constitutional Review Commission urged the swift release of the constitution-making budget. This echoed the warning by the Chairperson of the Commission that another extension could result from a lack of timely funding.
Other political developments
13. From 23 to 25 October, the Judicial Reform Committee held a workshop to validate its report. Key findings included public distrust in the judiciary, executive interference and a lack of judges, particularly women. The recommendations made during the workshop included establishing a constitutional court, digitalizing judicial processes and promoting gender equality. The final report, which was presented to the President on 20 December, aims to guide the implementation of reforms within the judiciary.
14. On 11 November, the President signed into law the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing Act 2024 and the Compensation and Reparations Authority Act 2024, both crucial for the implementation of Chapter 5 of the Revitalized Agreement, on transitional justice, accountability, reconciliation and healing, along with the Public Financial Management and Accountability Act 2011 (Amendment Act 2024); and the National Bureau of Statistics Act 2018 (Amendment Act 2024).
15. From 26 November to 2 December, UNMISS and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported the eighth annual Governors’ Forum in Juba. At its conclusion, the forum had adopted 62 resolutions, including calls to expand civic and political space, amend the National Security Service bill, pay salaries to civil servants and remove illegal roadblocks.
16. During the reporting period, the President reshuffled several key political and security sector appointees, including the Chief Administrator in his office, the Governor of Western Bahr el-Ghazal, the Governor and Deputy Governor of the Bank of South Sudan, the Commissioner General and Deputy Commissioner General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority, the Chief of Defence Forces and the Inspector General of Police and the Presidential Advisor on Security Affairs. The President further reconstituted the National Transitional Committee and the board of the State oil company, Nilepet. An attempt by government security forces on 21 November to relocate the former Internal Security Bureau Director General of the National Security Service, Akol Koor Kuc, to within Juba led to an exchange of fire between security forces and his bodyguards. The next day, he was relocated to a second residence further from the city centre, where he remained under military guard.
Regional engagements and developments
17. On 15 and 20 October, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Petroleum, Chol Deng Thon, and a presidential adviser, Tut Gatluak, visited Port Sudan in the Sudan to address oil flow challenges since the outbreak of conflict in the Sudan, which had led to a declaration of force majeure by the Government of the Sudan in March 2024. In a briefing to the President on 23 October, Mr. Gatluak confirmed the partial resumption of oil production. On 4 January, the Sudan announced that the force majeure on South Sudanese oil exports had been lifted. On 7 January, the Minister for Petroleum, Puot Kang Chol, announced the resumption of oil production, noting that it would be a gradual process, with 90,000 barrels a day as an initial output target.
18. In October, South Sudan signed several memorandums of understanding with neighbouring countries to strengthen regional cooperation, including with Kenya on customs operations, with Uganda on cross-border issues, and with the Democratic Republic of the Congo on border demarcation.
19. On 30 November, the President attended the twenty-fourth East Africa Community Heads of State Summit in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, where he handed over the block’s chairpersonship to the President of Kenya.
20. The President of the Transitional Sovereign Council of the Sudan, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, visited Juba on 4 December, where he held discussions with Mr. Kiir on oil exports and the ongoing conflict in the Sudan.
Economic situation
21. On 18 November, the South Sudan National Bureau of Statistics extended the coverage of the consumer price index from 3 to 10 states. The Bureau also changed the base period from June 2011 to August 2024, which led to a monthly consumer price index of 6.6 per cent in September, 11.1 per cent in October, 22 per cent in November and 14.9 per cent in December.
22. On 25 November, the President signed into law the budget for the fiscal year 2024/25. The approved budget of 4.2 trillion South Sudan pounds (SSP) ($1.651 billion) had a deficit of 46 per cent, or SSP 1.9 trillion ($758 million). The Government expects to fund the deficit through grants and external borrowing. It also increased taxes and fees to raise revenue.
23. As at 15 January, the South Sudan pound had depreciated by 23 per cent on the unofficial market, dropping from SSP 4,300 to the dollar to SSP 5,300 to the dollar. Since January 2024, the South Sudan pound had depreciated by 342 per cent. By 15 January, the official rate stood at SSP 4,169 to the dollar, resulting in a gap of 27 per cent between the official and unofficial exchange rates.