U.N. official Anita Kiki Gbeho warns Security Council: South Sudan violence, reduced UNMISS capacity are limiting protection and aid

Anita Kiki Gbeho, a U.N. official, told the Security Council that the situation in South Sudan has worsened, with rising violence, widening humanitarian needs and a reduced U.N. mission footprint that is constraining protection and aid.

"Nearly 10 million people need some form of humanitarian assistance," Gbeho said, and "since late December, more than 276,000 people have been displaced in Jonglei alone, and over 110,000 have fled into Ethiopia." She warned those figures were accompanied by mounting security risks, including "the aerial bombardment of a hospital in Lankien," which she said "illustrates the human cost of the current trajectory."

Gbeho described a squeeze on UNMISS operations following implementation of a contingency plan, saying "the implementation of the contingency plan has resulted in a 25 to 30% reduction in operational capacity." That smaller footprint, she said, has forced the mission to prioritize where a mobile presence can have the greatest preventive impact while integrating political engagement, physical protection and humanitarian facilitation.

As examples, Gbeho pointed to the redesignation of the Malakal protection-of-civilians site to enable expanded patrolling and escorts for humanitarian actors along the Nile, and to the mission's temporary extensions of presence in Akobo and Abyei after violence rose during planned drawdown phases. She said those measures helped prevent further escalation and enabled humanitarian access but are "not financially sustainable under current budget parameters."

Gbeho also highlighted diminished mine-action capacity that has delayed hazard clearance and slowed responses to humanitarian requests in high-risk areas such as Jonglei, and warned that reduced engagement with local authorities and communities risks eroding trust, early warning and visibility.

At the same time, she said UNMISS has "sustained credible human rights monitoring and reporting," citing improvements in detention oversight, releases of arbitrarily detained individuals and support for mobile and special courts to improve access to justice in areas where formal institutions are weak or absent.

Gbeho argued that military measures alone cannot resolve the crisis and urged a sustained political pathway anchored in inclusive dialogue. She welcomed the appointment of President Kikwete as the African Union High Representative, saying regional engagement through the AU, IGAD and the U.N. trilateral framework has injected momentum into dialogue.

Addressing the Security Council as it considers renewal of the UNMISS mandate, Gbeho called for preserving the mission's capacity to support protection, prevention and political engagement and for realistic, sustained investment to create conditions for a credible end to South Sudan's transition. She also urged South Sudanese leaders to implement the peace agreement and to take "demonstrable steps to gain confidence and meet the aspirations of their people."

The briefing closed with a request for continued unified Council support for priorities in the February AUC 5 declaration, including an immediate ceasefire, inclusive dialogue and conditions conducive to credible elections. The Council then moved to other items on its agenda.