Monday 1 June The Government of South Sudan expelled the United Nations’ resident relief coordinator and deputy envoy to the country, Toby Lanzer. The SPLM later explained the expulsion, describing Lanzer as an ‘’enemy’’ of South Sudan. A delegation of 5 SPLM-G10, accompanied by South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, returned to South Sudan to… Read more »
Author: Monitoring South Sudan
This Week in South Sudan – Week 22
Monday 25 May The South Sudanese government said it welcomed IGAD’s appointment of Sudan’s president Bashir as the new leader of the IGAD peace negotiations. The SPLA announced that its forces had regained control of Malakal, the capital of Upper Nile state, more than one week after the SPLA (IO) captured it. An advance team of… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – Week 21
Wednesday 20 May The SPLA (IO) tactically withdrew from Melut, Upper Nile state “in order to reorganize for next move.” According to a communique following the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGL), the regional leaders rejected the direct participation of the Troika (US, UK and Norway) in the IGAD process, and the UN’s… Read more »
The cost of Uganda’s military intervention in South Sudan
Photo source: New Vision-Uganda, www.newvision.co.ug The Government of Ugandan deployed the Ugandan People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) in South Sudan shortly after the outbreak of the third civil war on 15 December 2013. The intervention was instrumental in hindering further escalation of violence during the first weeks of the conflict, but now critical voices in Uganda… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – Week 20
Tuesday 12 May Members of Parliament passed the 2015 NGO bill that will regulate, monitor and require a new registration for NGOs within 3 months. A NGO umbrella group says the bill can lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. SPLA and SPLA (IO) fought over the control of Mayiandit county headquarters in Unity state. Wednesday 13… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – May 1-11
Friday 1 May The South Sudanese government accepted the involvement of the Troika countries in the IGAD + negotiations. The SPLA claimed they have regained control of rebel-held areas in Nhial Diu Payam, south-west of Unity state’s capital, Bentiu. The SPLA (IO) dismissed the claims, saying they tactically withdrew from some areas to avoid harming the civil population. Saturday 2 May… Read more »
Dead economy walking in South Sudan
Ever since early 2012, South Sudan’s imminent economic collapse has been routinely predicted. Impressions from a recent visit to Juba indicate that this time around it might be more to these divinations than before. The economic crisis is compounded by a de facto break-down in peace negotiations and South Sudan faces a formidable threat to… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – April 20-28
Monday 20 April The SPLM (IO) conference in Pagak was kicked off, the agenda is to discuss the status of the peace negotiations, and the proposed IGAD +. President Kiir’s address at the opening of the national assembly was met with mixed reactions from its members. Tuesday 21 April President Kiir has once again asked… Read more »
“A year of South Sudan’s third civil war”
The abstract below is from a recently published, peer-reviewed article in International Area Studies Review. The article is based on the output of the Monitoring South Sudan blog over the last year, and takes an empirical look at how South Sudan’s civil war has evolved since the outbreak in December 2013. The article is written… Read more »
This Week in South Sudan – Week 15
Monday 6 April A grenade explosion injured 10 civilians in the IDP camp inside the UN base in Bentiu. A recent Small Arms Survey report questions the neutrality of the South Sudan Democratic Forces (SSDF)-Cobra Faction. The leader of an Ethiopian rebel movement, known as the Ethiopia United Patriots Front (EUPF), dismissed reports alleging his… Read more »