The U.N. Security Council voted Thursday to extend the mandate of the U.N. mission in South Sudan for another year as the world’s youngest nation faces renewed threats of conflict.
The resolution, introduced by the United States and backed by 11 other council members, extends the mission, known as UNMISS, until April 30, 2026. It authorizes peacekeepers to “use all necessary means” to protect civilians, deliver aid, support a fragile 2018 peace deal and investigate human rights violations.
China, Russia and Pakistan abstained from the vote.
The decision follows a nine-day technical extension approved April 30 to allow more time for negotiations. It comes amid escalating political tensions in South Sudan, where disputes between President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar have raised fears of renewed violence.
Nicholas Haysom, head of UNMISS, warned last month that the 2018 peace agreement — signed by Kiir and Machar after years of civil war — is unraveling. He said the current political crisis, including Machar’s arrest, risks triggering military clashes, while hate speech and misinformation are fueling ethnic divisions.
“This situation is darkly reminiscent of the conflicts of 2013 and 2016, which cost over 400,000 lives,” Haysom told the council.
The resolution keeps UNMISS troop levels at 17,000 and police at 2,101, including justice advisers. The council said it could adjust force levels based on future conditions.
It expressed “deep concern” over delays in implementing the peace deal and urged South Sudan’s leaders to rebuild trust and engage in dialogue. The resolution also called on the transitional government to fund and organize free elections and condemned sexual violence, child soldier recruitment and interference with aid operations.
U.S. Acting Ambassador Dorothy Shea urged the international community to pull South Sudan “back from the brink,” citing attacks on civilians and challenges facing peacekeepers, including demands to vacate a key base.
“The day that a peacekeeping operation is no longer required in South Sudan will be a bright one,” she said.
Pakistan’s deputy U.N. ambassador, Muhammad Usman Iqbal Jadoon, said his country abstained because the resolution included “unnecessary politicized” elements. But he reaffirmed support for UNMISS, calling it “a force of stability” in South Sudan.
UNMISS was established in 2011 after South Sudan gained independence from Sudan.