Wednesday 20 April

• International media reports on Riek Machar’s postponed return:
  • The New York Times: “South Sudan: Uncertainty Over Rebel Leader’s Expected Return”
  • The Guardian “South Sudan peace deal in balance amid opposition leader’s continued absence”
  • Financial Times “Machar’s aborted return sets back peace plans in South Sudan”
  • BBC “South Sudan peace at risk – monitors”
  • Foreign Policy “South Sudan: Rebel leader did not return because he tried to bring laser missiles with him”
• The Government of South Sudan has agreed to launch a joint military offensive against the Murle fighters in response to last week’s Gambela attacks in Ethiopia. 

Thursday 21 April

• Ethiopian troops have reportedly surrounded the areas of Jior and Kok in Jonglei state, where people from the Murle group are suspected of holding 125 Ethiopian children whom they had kidnaped.

Friday 22 April

• The Government of South Sudan (GoSS) has accepted the SPLM (IO) demand that nearly 200 fully armed troops will accompany Riek Machar upon his return to Juba. However, the GoSS shortly thereafter demanded to first inspect the SPLA (IO) weapons prior to their arrival in Juba.

Saturday 23 April

• Riek Machar scheduled to arrive on Monday 25 April.

Sunday 24 April

• BBC news clip “No future’ for refugees in South Sudan”
• After repeated delays, the US along with other western donor governments have reportedly withdrawn funding for the return of Riek Machar.
• A group of mostly Shilluk rebels in the Upper Nile region said they will lay down their weapons if President Salva Kiir’s order to create 28 states is cancelled.
• Radio Tamazuj: “Timeline: South Sudan’s week of waiting”

Monday 11 April

• President Salva Kiir appointed nine new ambassadors, a move seen as an attempt to solidify his diplomatic roots in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Tuesday 12 April

• The SPLA (IO) accused the South Sudanese government air force of shelling their positions in Wau County, Western Bahr el Ghazal State.
• The local command of SPLA has reportedly arrested up to 154 people in different parts of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, generating tensions between the civilians and the army.

Wednesday 13 April

• SPLM (IO)’s Deputy Chairman, Alfred Ladu Gore returned to Juba.
• The SPLA have permitted the Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements Monitoring Mechanism (CTSAMM) to visit their military sites on 19 April to verify whether Juba has been demilitarized per the August 2015 peace agreement.

Thursday 14 April

• The Government of South Sudan was accused of preventing a team from the CTSAMM ceasefire monitoring mechanism from entering into Tendera area of Western Equatoria State.
• The Guardian covers economic hardship in South Sudan: “’There’s no work, no money’: oil-rich but desperately poor South Sudan shuts up shop”

Friday 15 April

• According to the Ethiopian government, a cross-border attack allegedly carried out by Murle tribesmen on Friday 15 April have left 208 dead from the Nuer community in the Gambela region in western Ethiopia. More than 100 children have reportedly been kidnapped, and over 2,000 livestock raided. The Ethiopian government has called for a joint military offensive with Juba in response to the attacks.
  • The New York Times: “Deadly Attacks in Ethiopia Leave Victims Wondering Why”

• Government forces and the SPLA (IO) trade allegations of attacks and looting west of Bentiu, Unity State.
• The Guardian: “Tensions run high as rebels return to South Sudan’s capital”

Sunday 17 April

• President Salva Kiir stated he might run for another term in office after 2018.
• The SPLM (IO) confirmed the release of 21 members in Juba. They were detained by the National Security Service while attempting to mobilize people to a reception of SPLM (IO) Deputy Chairman, Alfred Ladu Gore.

Tuesday 19 April

• SPLM (IO) leader, Riek Machar’s much anticipated arrival in Juba was postponed The arrival has been repeatedly delayed, one of the main issues being diverging interpretations and implementations of the security arrangements in Juba.

Tuesday 5 April

• The SPLA denied reports that their forces had attacked SPLA (IO) positions in Mundri county, Western Equatoria State.

Wednesday 6 April

• The SPLA admitted carrying out attacks against opposition forces in Wau County, Western Bahr el Ghazal State. However, they denied any violations of the peace agreement, saying they targeted criminals not part of the SPLA (IO).

Thursday 7 April

• More than 900 SPLA (IO) soldiers have arrived in Juba and started taking up positions in the capital in preparation for Riek Machar’s scheduled arrival on April 18.
• According to Medecins Sans Frontieres, thousands of lives are at risk across South Sudan as massive drug shortages have forced medical centres to close down.
• An anti-terrorism court in Khartoum has sentenced 22 South Sudanese nationals to death for belonging to the Justice and Equality Movement, a militant group in Darfur.
• A SPLA spokesperson accused an unnamed “enemy” of planning to carry out air bombardments inside South Sudan’s territory.
• The United Nations Security Council renewed, until 1 June, its sanctions regime against those accused of blocking the peace process, including a travel ban and a freeze on their assets.

Friday 8 April

• General Paul Malong, SPLA Chief of General Staff, sparked controversy by saying Riek Machar will never become president of South Sudan in his presence. The SPLM (IO) called his comments ‘anti-peace and anti-democracy.’

Saturday 9 April

• The Guardian – in pictures: ‘’I don’t know when I last ate’: getting aid to South Sudan’s north’

Tuesday 29 March

• The Government of Sudan issued a directive ending cross border movement in the south, effectively closing its border with South Sudan.
• MTN South Sudan announced it is cutting jobs and cancelling expansion plans in face a U.S. dollar shortage and falling subscriptions due to the country’s economic crisis.
• Four people were killed and several injured in an attack allegedly carried out by SPLA (IO) forces in Mirmir payam, Unity State.

Wednesday 30 March

• UNMISS dismissed media reports that claimed peacekeepers had failed to protect civilians who fled protection sites in the Upper Nile capital, Malakal.
• SPLA accused the SPLA (IO) of allegedly attacking their forces on Mayendit-Leer road in Unity State.

Thursday 31 March

• Festus G. Mogae, the chairperson of JMEC, claim the formation of South Sudan’s Transitional Government of National Unity (TGoNU) is feasible within the next two weeks.
• According to the UN, more than 48,000 South Sudanese have fled to Sudan since late January amid food shortages and continuing conflict.

Friday 1 April

• The South Sudanese government expressed dissatisfaction with the U.S. extension of the executive order declaring national emergency with respect to South Sudan.

Saturday 2 April

• The SPLM and the South Sudan National Liberation Movement/Army (SSNLM/A) in Western Equatoria State signed a final peace agreement ending years of conflict in Yambio county.

Sunday 3 April

• Foreign Affairs: “South Sudan’s Troubled Peace: How the Peace Deal Got Stuck”

Monday 4 April

• The Government of the Northern Liech State (Unity State) accused SPLA (IO) forces of allegedly violating the ceasefire by attacking government positions in Juach village.
• At least nine people were killed in an attack by cattle raiders in Budi County, Eastern Equatoria State.

Tuesday 22 March

• Officials in Morobo County, Central Equatoria State claimed unknown gunmen kidnapped three SPLA wildlife officers on duty and stole dozens of machine guns.
• Foreign Affairs Minister, Barnaba Marial Benjamin, denied reports that he had conceded the disputed Abyei region to Sudan by referring to the area’s residents as non-South Sudanese. President Salva Kiir later removed Barnaba Marial Benjamin from his position as foreign affairs minister.

Wednesday 23 March

• The United Nations Human Rights Council has established a three-person commission to investigate human rights abuses in South Sudan.
• Riek Machar visited Nairobi for peace implementation consultations with SPLM (IO) stakeholders and regional leaders like Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta.
• The Guardian: “When will the UN be held to account for failing to protect civilians?”

Thursday 24 March

• The SPLA accused the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) of carrying out aerial bombardments on SPLA forces inside South Sudan, destroying weapons and army shelters in the northern Upper Nile region. SAF later denied the allegations.
• According to a local official, authorities in Western Equatoria State arrested a five-person team of ceasefire monitors in Yambio town last week and expelled them to Juba.
• The Guardian: “The crisis in South Sudan can’t be solved with more money. We need peace”
• Institute for Security Studies: “Think Again: Yes, targeted sanctions can work in South Sudan”

Friday 25 March

• The SPLA (IO) released names of government soldiers who they claim recently defected to them from Nasir town, Upper Nile State.
• 22 SPLA (IO) police generals arrived in Juba for the joint integrated police force in accordance with the August 2015 peace agreement.

Monday 28 March

• 39 SPLA (IO) soldiers arrived in Juba, as part of the implementation of the August 2015 peace agreement. The soldiers mark the first deployment of a minimum force of 1,370 SPLA (IO) soldiers set to arrive in Juba ahead of SPLM (IO) leader Riek Machar’s arrival.

Monday 14 March

• The South Sudanese government is allegedly planning to “temporarily” close down many of its embassies abroad due to lack of funding. The government later dismissed these claims, stating they are only reducing the number of embassy staff.

Wednesday 16 March

• The SPLM (IO) announced 23 of their top generals are expected to arrive in Juba on 28 March to prepare for the coming of their leader, Riek Machar.
• The SPLA (IO) accused the government of planning an attack on their positions in Munduri, Western Equatoria State.
• At least seven civilians were killed and four wounded in an ambush on a passenger bus travelling between Koch and Bentiu in Unity State.

Thursday 17 March

• Sudan accused the SPLM of supporting the SPLA-North and is consequently threatening to close its border with South Sudan and deport more than 300,000 South Sudanese students.
• President Salva Kiir approved a request by the SPLA chief of general staff, General Paul Malong Awan, to make a reshuffle in the top command of the army.
• According to a new HSBA report by Small Arms Survey, the attack on the Malakal UN protection site was part of an organized effort by authorities in Upper Nile State to push Shilluk people off the east bank of the White Nile river.

Friday 18 March

• Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon appointed Nicholas Haysom of South Africa as the new Special Envoy for Sudan and South Sudan.
• Radio Tamazuj Podcast: “Luka Biong expects economy to improve with peace”

Saturday 19 March

• The South Sudanese government claimed the government of Sudan intends to abrogate the their cooperation agreement. The two parties later announced they were engaged in negotiations over border tensions linked to security matters, demarcations of their common border, as well as the oil transportation fee.

Sunday 20 March

• One person died and 110 were wounded after fighting broke out at a UN protection of civilian camp in Jebel in Juba. Leaders of the IDPs later accused the government of allegedly instigating the clashes.
• At least 13 people were killed in Lobonok, Central Equatoria State after raid on a Dinka Bor cattle camp by unknown gunmen.

Tuesday 8 March

• The SPLA (IO) accused government force of attacking their position in Koch County in Unity State.
• NPR interview: “’Both Sides Are At Fault’: Susan Rice On South Sudan’s Civil War”

Wednesday 9 March

• SPLA (IO) and government forces reportedly clashed in Ulang and Nasser county, Upper Nile State, and in Koch county, Unity State.
• According to the SPLA (IO), a group of government troops have allegedly defected and joined the rebel movement under Rick Machar’s leadership.

Thursday 10 March

• A South Sudanese journalist, Joseph Afandy, who criticized the government was reportedly abducted, tortured, burned and dumped near a graveyard according to local media reports.
• The Shilluk force, known as the Tiger Faction New Forces (TFNF) announced they will not support the peace agreement unless the 28 states-plan is evoked.

Friday 11 March

• The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a new detailed report, identifying the numerous patterns of violations and abuses South Sudanese have endured since December 2013.
• International media cover of a new UN OHCHR report:
  • The Guardian: “UN report: South Sudan allowed soldiers to rape civilians in civil war”
  • Reuters: “U.N. accuses South Sudan forces of campaign of rape and killing”
  • Financial Times: “UN decries child killings and mass rape in South Sudan”
  • Bloomberg “South Sudan Forces Carried Out Murders, Rape, UN Report Says”
  • CNN “South Sudan troops systematically raped girls and women, U.N. says”
  • New York Times: “Mass Rape, a Weapon of War, Traumatizes South Sudan”
  • Al Jazeera broadcast news: “Inside Story – Have war crimes been committed in South Sudan?”
• New York Times: “Are as Many Civilians Dying in South Sudan as in Syria?”
• New York Times: “In South Sudan, City of Hope Is Now City of Fear”

Saturday 12 March

• Radio Tamazuj: “Timeline: Key investigations into atrocities in South Sudan”
• New York Times: “Where the Soldiers Are Scarier Than the Crocodiles”

Sunday 13 March

• Several senior rebel commanders who defected from the SPLA (IO) last year returned to Juba, ending several months of behind the scene negotiations with the government

Tuesday 1 March

• 16 South Sudanese, including 10 aides to President Salva Kiir, have been charged with forgery and the theft of US$15 million from the presidential office.
• The SPLA has left a limited force in Juba in accordance with the August 2015 peace deal until a joint force with the SPLA (IO) is deployed.
• General Tom Al Nur Daldum, commander of the National Forces for Peace (NFP) militia, announced that his force will join the SPLA.

Wednesday 2 March

• At least 50,000 people have been killed in South Sudan’s two-year civil war according to a senior UN official.
• The East African Community (EAC) admitted South Sudan as the sixth member state.
• The National Congress Party (NCP) and the SPLM, the ruling parties of respectively Sudan and South Sudan, announced they would sign a declaration of principles to develop joint political cooperation between the two forces.

Thursday 3 March

• The UN Security Council extended the period of sanctions against South Sudan until 15 April 2016. Under the sanctions six generals, three from each side of the conflict are banned from travel and have their asset frozen. The UNSC maintain that these generals block South Sudan’s peace process.
• IDPs residing in Malakal accused Rwandan peace keepers deployed in the area of complicity in attacks on the IDPs inside the UN camp on 17 February. These attacks left at least 25 killed and some 120 wounded.
• Frontline documentary: “On the brink of famine 360°”

Friday 4 March

• Time photo series: “Eyewitness to Hope and Hell in South Sudan”

Saturday 5 March

• According to South Sudan’s Minister of Petroleum and Mining, Stephen Dhieu Dau, the government is preparing to resume oil production in Unity State.
• President Salva Kiir issued an order removing South Sudan’s deputy chief justice, Madol Arol Kachuol from office, replacing him with John Gatwich Lul.

Sunday 6 March

• The deadline for the arrival of SPLM (IO) forces in Juba was passed on 1 March and no new date has been set.
• Human Rights Watch: “South Sudan: Army abuses spread west”

Monday 22 February

• The Enough Project: “South Sudan’s Central Bank Demands Accountability for U.S. Dollar Auction”
• VICE In Photos: “The Children Fighting For an Education in South Sudan”

Tuesday 23 February

• International Crisis Group: “South Sudan’s Peace Needs More than Tents and Generators”
• South Sudan’s warring parties have agreed on a security arrangement that allows 1,370 SPLA (IO) forces to deploy to Juba ‘immediately’ in March.
• The SPLA denied reports that government forces were involved in the violence that broke out at the UN Protection Site in Malakal, Upper Nile State last week.
• The SPLA warned of a security vacuum should its forces withdraw from the national capital, Juba, in implementation of the security arrangements signed with the SPLA (IO).
• A senior SPLA (IO) official, Aguer Rual, defected to the government, accusing Riek Machar of “treachery.”
• The South Sudanese government announced they will pull out excess presidential guards force division from its headquarters located south of the presidential palace in Juba.

Wednesday 24 February

• At least five people were killed, 35 others wounded and thousands more displaced in Pibor, Jonglei State, following clashes between SPLA forces and SSDM Cobra Faction. A MSF medical compound was also looted in the process, diminishing the already scarce medical care available.
• Riek Machar met with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa to discuss the implementation of the August 2015 peace deal.

Thursday 25 February

• Riek Machar met with the former president of Tanzania, Jakaya Kikwete, to discuss the reunification process of the SPLM factions.
• NPR Audio Report: “South Sudan Faces New Obstacles To Implementing Peace Deal”

Friday 26 February

• Riek Machar announced he will return to Juba  in March.
• NPR Audio Report: “Living In A Camp By A Ruined City, They’re Strangers In Their Own Land”
• SPLA soldiers have started to desert their areas of deployment in the newly created Wau State – former Western Bahr el Ghazal State, due to lack of food and ammunition.
• A recent report by the SUDD Institute warns of a possible economic collapse if the government does not make radical reforms and adjust expenditure.
• International media cover of UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon visit in Juba:
  • Reuters: “Ban urges South Sudan president, rebel leader to form government”
  • Bloomberg: “UN’s Ban Urges South Sudan Leader to Put Peace Before Politics”
  • Voice of America: “Kiir Tells UN Chief He Will Implement S. Sudan Peace Accord”
  • The New York Times: “UN Chief to South Sudan: Respecting Peace Deal Not an Option”
  • Radio Tamazuj photos: “Ban Ki-moon visits South Sudanese displaced”

 Saturday 27 February

• The United Kingdom is calling for the immediate imposition of an arms embargo on South Sudan by the UN Security Council.
• The New York Times: “The Killing Fields of South Sudan”