ReliefWeb

This report was co-published with the International Peace Institute (IPI)

On February 10, 2021, IPI, the Stimson Center, and Security Council Report organized a virtual workshop to discuss the mandate and political strategy of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS). This discussion was part of a series of workshops that examines how the activities included in peace operations’ mandates can be better prioritized, sequenced, and grounded in political strategies. This was the third consecutive year in which these partners convened discussions in support of the mandate negotiations on UNMISS.

This meeting note was drafted collaboratively by IPI, the Stimson Center, and Security Council Report. It summarizes the main points raised in the discussion under the Chatham House rule of non-attribution and does not necessarily represent the views of all participants. The project is funded with the support of the government of Germany.

Introduction

The UN Security Council is expected to renew the mandate of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in March 2021. In this context, the International Peace Institute (IPI), the Stimson Center, and Security Council Report organized a virtual workshop on February 10, 2021 to discuss UNMISS’s mandate and political strategy. Similar workshops were held in February 2019 and 2020 in advance of the Security Council’s previous renewals of UNMISS’s mandate. This workshop offered a forum for member states, UN staff, and outside experts to develop a shared understanding and common strategic assessment of the situation in South Sudan. The session was intended to help the Security Council make informed decisions with respect to the strategic orientation, prioritization, and sequencing of UNMISS’s mandate and actions on the ground.

Nearly one year after the creation of a transitional government in February 2020, the main pillars of the June 2018 permanent cease-fire and September 2018 peace agreement continue to hold, but their implementation has progressed at a worryingly slow pace. UNMISS’s mandated four pillars (protecting civilians, supporting implementation of the peace agreement, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid, and monitoring and investigating human rights violations) have enabled the mission to adapt to changing conditions on the ground, despite frequent violations of the status-of-forces agreement in recent months. Most visibly, this includes a shift to a more mobile posture to address and prevent intercommunal violence around the country, with UN forces currently in more than fifteen locations. This enhanced mobility has been enabled in part by the controversial redesignation and gradual transfer of three of the five protection of civilians (POC) sites from UNMISS’s control over to national authorities. Within the Security Council, there continues to be unity on the way forward for South Sudan, but neighboring UN member states and multilateral organizations, which are essential partners in supporting the country’s transition, have not been as engaged as they could be.

Against this backdrop, the workshop’s deliberations focused on the political and security dynamics in South Sudan, as well as on UNMISS’s current mandate and priorities for the coming year. Participants also discussed the findings of the independent strategic review of UNMISS, which were shared with the Security Council in December 2020.