UNMISS

UNMISS (United Nations Mission in South Sudan) was established by UN Security Council Resolution 1996 on 8 July 2011, one day before South Sudan's formal independence from Sudan. Its original mandate focused on consolidating peace and security and helping the new state build governance capacity.

After the outbreak of civil war in December 2013 between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar, the Security Council fundamentally reoriented the mission. Resolution 2155 (2014) shifted UNMISS's priorities to four core tasks:

• Protection of civilians
• Monitoring and investigating human rights
• Creating conditions for delivery of humanitarian assistance
• Supporting implementation of the cessation of hostilities agreement

A distinctive feature of UNMISS has been its Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites — UN bases that opened their gates to tens of thousands of civilians fleeing ethnic violence in 2013–2014. At their peak, the PoC sites sheltered roughly 200,000 displaced people. Beginning in 2020, most sites were redesignated as conventional displacement camps under South Sudanese government responsibility, though the transition has been contested by humanitarian groups concerned about residents' safety.

The mission operates under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, authorising the use of force to protect civilians under imminent threat. Troop and police contributions come from a wide range of states, with significant contingents from India, Rwanda, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Ethiopia, among others. The Force Commander and Special Representative of the Secretary-General lead military and civilian components respectively.

UNMISS has supported implementation of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS), signed in September 2018, including monitoring of the permanent ceasefire and transitional security arrangements. The mandate is renewed annually by the Security Council, typically each March, and the mission continues amid recurring intercommunal violence, delayed elections, and humanitarian crises driven by flooding and food insecurity.