‘Slaughtered like goats’: Despair and abandonment in South Sudan

Anita Kiki Gbeho, the new Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), appointed on 11 April following the death of her renowned predecessor Nicholas Haysom, outlined the deteriorating conditions in the country since the last briefing at the beginning of the year.

Fighting between the South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (also known as the Army in Opposition), has intensified, particularly in Jonglei state, and civilians continue to bear the brunt.

The UN has reported a 40 per cent increase in deaths and injuries in 2025 compared with 2024 and warned that intercommunal violence persists in parts of the Equatorias, Bahr el Ghazal and Warrap, driven by cattle raiding, land disputes and retaliatory attacks.

On the day that Ms. Gbeho briefed the Council, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan expressed grave concern over reports that bodies have been discovered in Jonglei during recent road works, warning that the true human cost of the country’s renewed violence may be significantly greater than currently known.

Less money means more trade-offs

The growing fighting and rights abuses are coinciding with cuts to the UNMISS budget, which have forced the Mission to row back on certain activities. Ms. Gbeho remarked that operational capacity has been reduced by between 24 and 30 per cent.

While peacekeepers were able to protect civilians following violent incidents in Akobo and Abiemnhom, Ms. Gbeho pointed out that their longer-term presence is not financially sustainable under current budget conditions.

Diminished mine action capacity, she added, has limited the Mission’s ability to clear explosive hazards while simultaneously supporting patrols and site security, resulting in delays in responding to humanitarian requests in high-risk areas such as Jonglei. 

Peacekeepers have less capacity to engage with local authorities, traditional leaders, and communities. This affects early warning, confidence building and visibility which risks eroding trust and increasing the likelihood of misinformation.

The Mission chief underscored the dilemma faced by UNMISS and the Council: “the scale and urgency of needs on the ground,” she said, “are not yet matched by the type of sustained commitment and investment required to fully meet the shared ambition of a sustainable path to peace.”

‘A dangerous crossroads’

The devastating humanitarian crisis in South Sudan was underlined by Tom Fletcher, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, who told the Council that the world’s youngest nation “stands at a dangerous crossroads.

This year, he said, around two-thirds of the population will need humanitarian assistance, yet the UN’s $1.46 billion Humanitarian Plan is only 22 per cent funded.

Mr. Fletcher cited recent data from the World Health Organization (WHO), which show that 1.35 million people across Jonglei have lost access to healthcare after 26 facilities were destroyed or forced to close. Cholera is on the rise, and measles persists.

On a recent visit to Jonglei, Mr. Fletcher was told by local women that they had fled extreme violence, that their homes had been burned down and that people had been “slaughtered like goats”. 

Fighting in Upper Nile State, he added, is just as alarming, with fighting, access restrictions and interference with UN humanitarian operations blocking aid. 

Emergency levels of food insecurity are expected across all of South Sudan’s 10 states during the lean season, which begins this month and lasts through July: more than 7.5 million people will need food assistance this year.

Delivering aid under fire

In the face of multiple challenges, peacekeepers and aid workers in South Sudan continue to support the population.

In Jonglei alone, over 113,000 people have already received food this year, and UN partners have provided over 14 tonnes of emergency health supplies, and thousands of water, sanitation and hygiene kits. 

Despite constraints, the Mission has been able to continue credible human rights monitoring and reporting, which has contributed to improvements in detention oversight and the release of individuals held arbitrarily.

UNMISS also continues to support access to justice in areas where formal institutions have long been absent, through mobile and special courts, helping to reduce cycles of retaliatory violence and rebuild confidence in state authority.