-      H.E. Ambassador Eloy Alfaro de Alba, President of the UN Security Council,

-     Distinguished Members of the Council,

-     Excellencies,

-     Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen.

Mr President,

1.    I congratulate you on assuming the presidency of the Security Council for this month. I would also like to thank you for inviting the Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (RJMEC) to address this esteemed Council.

2.    This is my first address to this esteemed Council since I assumed office in March 2025 as the Interim Chairperson of the RJMEC. 

3.    The RJMEC is the official oversight body responsible for monitoring and evaluating the status of implementation of the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), and it is mandated under Article 7.10 of the R-ARCSS to submit status of implementation reports quarterly, followed by detailed briefings to, inter-alia, the United Nations Security Council.

4.    When RJMEC last briefed this august Council in February 2025, my predecessor informed you that in spite of the slow pace of implementation of the R-ARCSS, the permanent ceasefire was holding and efforts were underway to expedite the implementation of the outstanding critical election-related tasks. He also informed that the Parties had agreed by consensus to extend the Transitional Period from 22 February 2025 to 22 February 2027, with elections rescheduled to December 2026.

Mr. President, esteemed Council Members,

5.    Since then, however, I wish to inform the Council that the political and security situation in the Republic of South Sudan has substantially deteriorated. In March this year, shortly after commencement of the extended Transitional Period, an administrative military deployment coordinated by the SSPDF and SPLM/A-IO   forces into the town of Nassir in Upper Nile State, turned into a disagreement which quickly escalated and resulted in armed clashes, which consequently displaced tens of thousands of civilians and killed many. 

6.    On 3rd and 4th of March, a Nuer militia, allegedly affiliated to the SPLM/A-IO (locally known as the “White Army”), attacked an SSPDF garrison in Nasir, overran it, killed many soldiers and on 7th March, the garrison's commanding officer was also killed.

7.    This incident triggered a serious political and security crisis, which was followed by the arrest and detention in Juba of several senior SPLM/A-IO political leaders, including national Ministers and MPs, as well as the SPLA-IO Chief of Defence Forces and other military commanders. In the days that followed, H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny, the First Vice President, a major peace partner under the R-ARCSS, was put under house arrest where he remains to date.

8.    The permanent ceasefire has since been severely violated repeatedly, with aerial bombardments of SPLM/A-IO occupied areas by the SSPDF, including cantonment areas and training centres. There have also been reported violent armed clashes between SSPDF and SPLM/A-IO, including with their affiliate groups and forces in different parts of the country. The Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF), on a bilateral arrangement, also deployed into the country, a move contested by some Parties to the R-ARCSS.

Mr. President,

9.    Taken together, the clashes, deployment of UPDF, house arrest of the FVP, and detention of several senior SPLM/A-IO officials have created widespread fear, subsequently forcing many senior opposition figures into self-exile, including H.E. Dr. Riek Machar Teny’s deputy, the Rt. Hon. Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, who is the Acting Chair of the SPLM-IO and who was recently dismissed from the position of First Deputy Speaker of the TNLA. 

10.   This situation, coupled with numerous unilateral dismissals and appointments of officials at the national and State levels, undertaken by the Government in breach of the letter and spirit of the responsibility-sharing arrangements under the R-ARCSS, has rendered the implementation of the R-ARCSS virtually untenable, requiring serious interventions. There is very little progress in terms of implementation of the critical pending tasks and preparation for the conduct of elections as scheduled for December 2026. 

Mr. President, 

11.   The current situation and trajectory in the country, if not urgently addressed, risks to reverse all that has been gained and may lead to a collapse of the R-ARCSS, which could return the country back to an armed conflict. RJMEC and its partners, African Union Mission in South Sudan (AUMISS), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), have repeatedly called for constructive dialogue, de-escalation of tensions, addressing the issue of detainees, and return to full and inclusive implementation of the R-ARCSS. 

12.   This clarion call for peace has been repeated by the region, the continent, and international partners and friends of South Sudan since the outbreak of this crisis. However, all efforts in this regard have not yet yielded a breakthrough. Instead, the violations of the R-ARCSS continue, resulting in disruption of humanitarian activities, including health facilities, and an increasing number of deaths and displacement of civilians. 

13.   Already, an estimated more than 130,000 people are reported to have been displaced in Upper Nile State alone since March 2025, and the forecast of heavy rain and flooding is expected to worsen the situation. Furthermore, persistent inflation continues to diminish the value of the domestic currency, leading to heightened economic challenges for the population of South Sudan.

Mr. President, Distinguished Council Members,

14.   In view of the aforementioned, RJMEC recommends the following to the Council:

a.    Endorse the call by the IGAD Summit and the AUPSC to the South Sudanese Government to de-escalate tensions, address the issue of the FVP and all the other detainees, embrace dialogue, and return to full and inclusive implementation of the R-ARCSS and adhere to its letter and spirit.

b.    Consider undertaking an urgent high-level diplomatic mission to Juba to assess the situation and directly engage the Parties to the R-ARCSS; 

c.     Support the regional efforts towards assisting the Parties to commence dialogue and expedite implementation of the critical pending tasks towards a permanent constitution-making and the conduct of elections in a timely manner.

d.    Call upon the SSPDF and SPLM/A-IO commands to cease all hostilities and to urgently restore full adherence to the Permanent Ceasefire and Transitional Security Arrangements, and refrain from acts of violence; and

e.     Consider all possible measures to hold peace spoilers and/or violators of the R-ARCSS accountable.  

Mr. President,

15.   In conclusion, RJMEC would like to thank Your Excellency for convening this UNSC session on South Sudan. We also commend the African Union Peace and Security Council (AUPSC), which recently visited Juba. I have also had the privilege of briefing the different regional Heads of State and Government, including the Chairperson of IGAD in Djibouti last week, and my assessment is that the region, continent and the international community do not want to see South Sudan relapse into armed conflict again.

16.   RJMEC would like to remind this august Council that the R-ARCSS, in spite of all its challenges, has restored relative peace across the country, with numerous peace dividends, since its signing in September 2018 and remains a blueprint for the building of a lasting peace and stability in the country. It will be tragic if the gains of the R-ARCSS to date are lost beyond restoration.

17.   RJMEC, therefore, appeals to this esteemed Council to bring its leverage to bear in order to salvage the implementation of the Revitalised Peace Agreement and to remain seized of the situation in South Sudan.

I Thank You!