HRW Report: South Sudan
5 views
Skip to first unread message
John Ashworth
Feb 4, 2026, 1:41:50 AM (yesterday) Feb 4
to Group
Human Rights Watch Report: South Sudan Events of 2025
South Sudan’s human rights situation significantly deteriorated with
escalating political violence and intensified armed clashes between
government forces and aligned militias and armed opposition groups,
including the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO).
Clashes occurred mainly in Western Equatoria, Western Bar El Ghazal,
Upper Nile, Unity and Central Equatoria, bringing the implementation
of the 2018 peace agreement to a standstill.
The government conducted indiscriminate aerial bombardments in
populated areas under opposition control, killing and injuring
civilians and destroying property.
The National Security Service (NSS) severely curtailed civil and
political rights, escalating arrests, detentions, harassment,
surveillance, and other abuses against civil society and political
actors. Authorities initiated criminal proceedings against the SPLA-IO
leader and first vice president Riek Machar and other opposition
figures with charges including treason.
The National Salvation Front (NAS), a non-signatory to the peace deal,
continued its insurgency campaign in Greater Equatoria and formed a
military alliance with the SPLA-IO in September.
The humanitarian crisis worsened with approximately seventy percent of
the population needing food assistance amid conflict, food insecurity,
the impacts of extreme climate events and USAID aid cuts.
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), as of October 2025, 1.9
million people were internally displaced in South Sudan. South Sudan
also hosted nearly 600,000 refugees, mostly from Sudan, and over
800,000 South Sudanese returnees who fled the conflict in Sudan since
April 2023.
Conflict and Attacks against Civilians
Many civilians were killed in the context of conflict and
intercommunal violence.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that at
least 1, 854 people were killed, 1, 693 injured, 423 abducted and 169
subjected to sexual violence between January and September due to
intercommunal violence and fighting between government and armed
opposition groups including SPLA-IO and NAS.
Intercommunal violence in Warrap, Lakes, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei,
Abyei and Unity states, driven by ethnic tensions, revenge attacks,
cattle raiding, political influence, and competition over natural
resources, continued to escalate with killings, abductions, sexual
violence, and destruction of property.
In mid-January, reports of killings of South Sudanese in Sudan, by
Sudanese armed forces, triggered anti-Sudanese riots in South Sudan
with attacks on Sudanese nationals and their properties. While
authorities moved to protect Sudanese people and businesses, the UN
reported allegations that the security forces used live ammunition to
disperse protesters in Aweil and Juba. Following this, the National
Communication Authority ordered Internet service providers to block
social media.
In early March, hostilities between government forces and the “White
Army” armed Nuer youth, historically allied with the SPLA-IO,
intensified. This followed a March 4 “White Army” attack on a
government military base and Nasir town and a March 7 attack by armed
men on a UN helicopter that killed a UN crew member and over two dozen
South Sudanese soldiers.
Uganda then deployed its troops at South Sudan’s request to provide
technical support in military operations against the “White Army” and
the SPLA-IO in Upper Nile state. The deployment violated the UN
Security Council arms embargo as neither Uganda nor South Sudan sought
prior exemption.
The government conducted indiscriminate aerial bombardments in
populated areas, killing and maiming civilians including older people
and people with disabilities. Human Rights Watch found that at least
58 people were killed and 17 others severely burnt after government
forces used incendiary weapons in Nasir, Longechuk and Ulang counties
of Upper Nile state in early March.
In early March, the NSS and military intelligence arrested and
detained at least 22 members of the SPLA-IO, holding them
incommunicado. On March 26, 2025, the government placed Machar under
house arrest. On September 11, the justice minister announced treason,
conspiracy, murder, and crimes against humanity charges against Machar
and seven others for the “White Army” attacks on a government military
base in Nasir. Thirteen others were indicted in absentia. The trial
began on September 25. Authorities gave the South Sudan Broadcasting
Corporation unrestricted access to the proceedings, while blocking
independent journalists and civil society.
The UN peacekeeping mission, UNMISS, documented serious violations
including killings, abductions, sexual violence, forced recruitment,
and looting and destruction of property by government forces, SPLA-IO
and NAS in Western Equatoria between January and June 2025. In
September, an unidentified armed group attacked UN peacekeepers,
looting weapons and ammunitions, during a patrol in Tambura, Western
Equatoria.
Women and Girls’ Rights
Gender‑based violence remained pervasive. Most victims of
conflict-related sexual violence were women and girls. The UN
peacekeeping mission reported that armed groups used sexual violence
as a weapon against communities. Survivors face stigma, inadequate
healthcare, and little access to psychosocial support and other
essential services.
The parliament failed to adopt the Anti-Gender Based Violence and
Child Protection Bill, which could strengthen legal protections,
criminalize forced and child marriage, and guarantee survivors free
medical and psychosocial support.
Children’s Rights
Children in conflict-affected areas remained especially at risk of
recruitment, violence, displacement, and hunger. During the first six
months of 2025, UNMISS documented 326 children killed, injured,
abducted, or subjected to conflict-related sexual violence.
Humanitarian Crisis
Humanitarians continued to face frequent attacks from armed actors.
According to UNOCHA, 15 humanitarian workers and 11 contractors were
killed or injured between January and August.
Media reported that kidnapping for ransom of aid workers had
increased. One local aid worker abducted in August in Western
Equatoria reportedly died in captivity.
On April 13, an armed group attacked and looted a hospital operated by
a medical charity, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Ulang, Upper Nile
state.
On May 3, government forces bombarded an MSF hospital in Fangak and
the old Fangak market, in Jonglei state, killing seven and injuring at
least 20.
Systemic Corruption Impacts
A September report by the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan
concluded that systemic government corruption and predation, notably
of oil and non-oil revenues, by South Sudan’s political elites is
resulting in “preventable deaths, widespread malnutrition, and mass
exclusion from education,” and “fueling deadly armed conflict over
resources.”
Restrictions on Civil and Political Rights
The NSS detained political actors, activists, and journalists under
the 2024 NSS Act, which allows arrests without warrants and grants
broad powers with little oversight.
In September, the South Sudan Human Rights Defenders Network published
a report documenting at least 114 cases of censorship, harassment and
arbitrary arrests of civil society actors and journalists between July
2022 and July 2025.
Justice and Accountability
Justice for conflict-related violations remained elusive.
In March 2025, authorities in Unity state, with UNMISS support,
deployed a mobile court to Leer to address a decade-long backlog of
criminal cases in southern Unity state. The court tried charges of
murder, rape, and other serious crimes, but did not have jurisdiction
to prosecute war crimes or crimes against humanity, including from the
February-April 2022 violence.
In November, South Sudan and the African Union separately started
recruiting South Sudanese and non-South Sudanese commissioners for the
Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing. There was no
progress on the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, as the African Union and
South Sudan government failed to take action to establish it.
In April, the UN Human Rights Council extended the Commission on Human
Rights in South Sudan’s mandate, expressing concern over the lack of
progress on the establishment of the Hybrid Court, and noting
“persistent impunity for violations and abuses.”
In May the UN Security Council extended the arms embargo on South
Sudan for another year despite opposition of certain Council members.
US Deportations
In April the US imposed a visa ban on South Sudan passport holders
owing to failure to “accept the return of its citizens in a timely
manner.” South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation confirmed on September 4 that it was holding seven foreign
nationals deported from the United States in July, while a South
Sudanese national was released to his family. On September 6, the
authorities formally announced the repatriation of one Mexican
national to Mexico but did not clarify where the remaining six men are
held and under what conditions, or the legal basis for holding them.
On November 5, the US terminated Temporary Protection Status for South
Sudan.
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/south-sudan
END
______________________
John Ashworth
ashwor...@gmail.com
+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile, WhatsApp and Signal)
PO Box 403 - 00206, Kiserian, Kenya
South Sudan’s human rights situation significantly deteriorated with
escalating political violence and intensified armed clashes between
government forces and aligned militias and armed opposition groups,
including the Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO).
Clashes occurred mainly in Western Equatoria, Western Bar El Ghazal,
Upper Nile, Unity and Central Equatoria, bringing the implementation
of the 2018 peace agreement to a standstill.
The government conducted indiscriminate aerial bombardments in
populated areas under opposition control, killing and injuring
civilians and destroying property.
The National Security Service (NSS) severely curtailed civil and
political rights, escalating arrests, detentions, harassment,
surveillance, and other abuses against civil society and political
actors. Authorities initiated criminal proceedings against the SPLA-IO
leader and first vice president Riek Machar and other opposition
figures with charges including treason.
The National Salvation Front (NAS), a non-signatory to the peace deal,
continued its insurgency campaign in Greater Equatoria and formed a
military alliance with the SPLA-IO in September.
The humanitarian crisis worsened with approximately seventy percent of
the population needing food assistance amid conflict, food insecurity,
the impacts of extreme climate events and USAID aid cuts.
According to the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), as of October 2025, 1.9
million people were internally displaced in South Sudan. South Sudan
also hosted nearly 600,000 refugees, mostly from Sudan, and over
800,000 South Sudanese returnees who fled the conflict in Sudan since
April 2023.
Conflict and Attacks against Civilians
Many civilians were killed in the context of conflict and
intercommunal violence.
The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that at
least 1, 854 people were killed, 1, 693 injured, 423 abducted and 169
subjected to sexual violence between January and September due to
intercommunal violence and fighting between government and armed
opposition groups including SPLA-IO and NAS.
Intercommunal violence in Warrap, Lakes, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei,
Abyei and Unity states, driven by ethnic tensions, revenge attacks,
cattle raiding, political influence, and competition over natural
resources, continued to escalate with killings, abductions, sexual
violence, and destruction of property.
In mid-January, reports of killings of South Sudanese in Sudan, by
Sudanese armed forces, triggered anti-Sudanese riots in South Sudan
with attacks on Sudanese nationals and their properties. While
authorities moved to protect Sudanese people and businesses, the UN
reported allegations that the security forces used live ammunition to
disperse protesters in Aweil and Juba. Following this, the National
Communication Authority ordered Internet service providers to block
social media.
In early March, hostilities between government forces and the “White
Army” armed Nuer youth, historically allied with the SPLA-IO,
intensified. This followed a March 4 “White Army” attack on a
government military base and Nasir town and a March 7 attack by armed
men on a UN helicopter that killed a UN crew member and over two dozen
South Sudanese soldiers.
Uganda then deployed its troops at South Sudan’s request to provide
technical support in military operations against the “White Army” and
the SPLA-IO in Upper Nile state. The deployment violated the UN
Security Council arms embargo as neither Uganda nor South Sudan sought
prior exemption.
The government conducted indiscriminate aerial bombardments in
populated areas, killing and maiming civilians including older people
and people with disabilities. Human Rights Watch found that at least
58 people were killed and 17 others severely burnt after government
forces used incendiary weapons in Nasir, Longechuk and Ulang counties
of Upper Nile state in early March.
In early March, the NSS and military intelligence arrested and
detained at least 22 members of the SPLA-IO, holding them
incommunicado. On March 26, 2025, the government placed Machar under
house arrest. On September 11, the justice minister announced treason,
conspiracy, murder, and crimes against humanity charges against Machar
and seven others for the “White Army” attacks on a government military
base in Nasir. Thirteen others were indicted in absentia. The trial
began on September 25. Authorities gave the South Sudan Broadcasting
Corporation unrestricted access to the proceedings, while blocking
independent journalists and civil society.
The UN peacekeeping mission, UNMISS, documented serious violations
including killings, abductions, sexual violence, forced recruitment,
and looting and destruction of property by government forces, SPLA-IO
and NAS in Western Equatoria between January and June 2025. In
September, an unidentified armed group attacked UN peacekeepers,
looting weapons and ammunitions, during a patrol in Tambura, Western
Equatoria.
Women and Girls’ Rights
Gender‑based violence remained pervasive. Most victims of
conflict-related sexual violence were women and girls. The UN
peacekeeping mission reported that armed groups used sexual violence
as a weapon against communities. Survivors face stigma, inadequate
healthcare, and little access to psychosocial support and other
essential services.
The parliament failed to adopt the Anti-Gender Based Violence and
Child Protection Bill, which could strengthen legal protections,
criminalize forced and child marriage, and guarantee survivors free
medical and psychosocial support.
Children’s Rights
Children in conflict-affected areas remained especially at risk of
recruitment, violence, displacement, and hunger. During the first six
months of 2025, UNMISS documented 326 children killed, injured,
abducted, or subjected to conflict-related sexual violence.
Humanitarian Crisis
Humanitarians continued to face frequent attacks from armed actors.
According to UNOCHA, 15 humanitarian workers and 11 contractors were
killed or injured between January and August.
Media reported that kidnapping for ransom of aid workers had
increased. One local aid worker abducted in August in Western
Equatoria reportedly died in captivity.
On April 13, an armed group attacked and looted a hospital operated by
a medical charity, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Ulang, Upper Nile
state.
On May 3, government forces bombarded an MSF hospital in Fangak and
the old Fangak market, in Jonglei state, killing seven and injuring at
least 20.
Systemic Corruption Impacts
A September report by the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan
concluded that systemic government corruption and predation, notably
of oil and non-oil revenues, by South Sudan’s political elites is
resulting in “preventable deaths, widespread malnutrition, and mass
exclusion from education,” and “fueling deadly armed conflict over
resources.”
Restrictions on Civil and Political Rights
The NSS detained political actors, activists, and journalists under
the 2024 NSS Act, which allows arrests without warrants and grants
broad powers with little oversight.
In September, the South Sudan Human Rights Defenders Network published
a report documenting at least 114 cases of censorship, harassment and
arbitrary arrests of civil society actors and journalists between July
2022 and July 2025.
Justice and Accountability
Justice for conflict-related violations remained elusive.
In March 2025, authorities in Unity state, with UNMISS support,
deployed a mobile court to Leer to address a decade-long backlog of
criminal cases in southern Unity state. The court tried charges of
murder, rape, and other serious crimes, but did not have jurisdiction
to prosecute war crimes or crimes against humanity, including from the
February-April 2022 violence.
In November, South Sudan and the African Union separately started
recruiting South Sudanese and non-South Sudanese commissioners for the
Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing. There was no
progress on the Hybrid Court for South Sudan, as the African Union and
South Sudan government failed to take action to establish it.
In April, the UN Human Rights Council extended the Commission on Human
Rights in South Sudan’s mandate, expressing concern over the lack of
progress on the establishment of the Hybrid Court, and noting
“persistent impunity for violations and abuses.”
In May the UN Security Council extended the arms embargo on South
Sudan for another year despite opposition of certain Council members.
US Deportations
In April the US imposed a visa ban on South Sudan passport holders
owing to failure to “accept the return of its citizens in a timely
manner.” South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International
Cooperation confirmed on September 4 that it was holding seven foreign
nationals deported from the United States in July, while a South
Sudanese national was released to his family. On September 6, the
authorities formally announced the repatriation of one Mexican
national to Mexico but did not clarify where the remaining six men are
held and under what conditions, or the legal basis for holding them.
On November 5, the US terminated Temporary Protection Status for South
Sudan.
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2026/country-chapters/south-sudan
END
______________________
John Ashworth
ashwor...@gmail.com
+254 725 926 297 (Kenya mobile, WhatsApp and Signal)
PO Box 403 - 00206, Kiserian, Kenya
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages