Introduction
On 3rd September 2024, the South Sudanese parliament passed two transitional justice bills aiming to establish a Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing (CTRH) and a Compensation and Reparations Authority (CRA). In violation of the spirit of the Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS), however, the parliament excluded the third transitional justice mechanism envisioned in Chapter V of the R-ARCSS, namely the Hybrid Court for South Sudan (HCSS), meant to prosecute international crimes, which was to be set up in partnership with the African Union. The omission, sometimes referred to as “sequencing,” breaks South Sudanese leaders’ commitment to a holistic transitional justice effort and raises concerns about the government’s commitment to justice and ending impunity for serious crimes.
On 2nd October 2024, through a presidential decree, President Salva Kiir fired General Akol Koor Kuc as head of the National Security Services (NSS). Gen. Akol had been heading the NSS since South Sudan’s independence in 2011. He was made governor of Warrap state, where insecurity is rife. No reason was given for this. A few days later, however, his appointment was revoked. On 27th November, security forces attempted to arrest him, triggering heavy gunfire that lasted for over an hour. As the situation escalated, the UN issued a safety alert, urging all staff to shelter in place. The gunfight was directly linked to the attempted arrest, raising concerns about the use of excessive force and instability within the security apparatus.
In February 2025, the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS) provided an overview of the human rights situation in 2024 and other key developments. The report criticised delays and mismanagement in the political transition, which created uncertainty and instability. It raised concerns over escalating violence, insecurity, displacement and repression, alongside worsening human rights, humanitarian, and economic crises. The report also documented widespread sexual violence, ethnic-based conflicts, extrajudicial killings and economic exploitation, attributing them to a culture of impunity.
On 13th February 2025, over 100 NGOs, including DefendDefenders, urged states to adopt a strong resolution addressing South Sudan’s human rights situation at the UN Human Rights Council’s 58th session. In their joint letter, the organisations called for a two-year extension of the mandate of the CHRSS. They also requested the Commission to provide regular updates to the Council, including assessments of risk factors for atrocity crimes.
On 4th March 2025, tensions abruptly rose in the capital, Juba, after four senior military officers from the main opposition group, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Opposition (SPLM-IO), were arrested at the national army (SSPDF) headquarters. The SSPDF is dominated by the ruling Sudan People’s Liberation Movement in Government (SPLN-IG), led by President Salva Kiir. Sources linked the arrests to ongoing fighting between the SSPDF and several armed groups, including the “White Army,” a Nuer militia group that has claimed control of the town of Nasir in Nasir County, Upper Nile State. First Vice-President Dr. Riek Machar, an ethnic Nuer, has been sharing power with President Salva Kiir, an ethnic Dinka, since the country’s independence, with frequent tensions and two cycles of civil war, from 2013-2015 and from 2016-2018 respectively. The White Army’s advance raises concerns about ongoing instability and prospects for the resumption of large-scale, nationwide conflict.
Association
Following the leadership change, the NSS released at least 16 political detainees between 7th and 11th November 2024. The agency claimed the release was part of an “accountability process” and reaffirmed its commitment to national security and the rule of law. On 8th November, the NSS freed activist Morris Mabior Awikjok Bak, months after a Juba High Court granted him bail. Bak had spent nearly two years in detention following his forced disappearance in Kenya in February 2023, as documented on the Monitor.
The NSS also released activist Michael Wetnhialic, who had been detained since March. Wetnhialic confirmed his release, stating he was freed on 7th November. Before this, the NSS unlawfully detained him three times in 2017, 2018 and 2019. During each detention, authorities held him in poor conditions, denied him access to his family or a lawyer, and never formally charged him.
However, the NSS continues to arbitrarily detain dozens of perceived or real government critics and independent civil society voices. In a joint letter released ahead of the Human Rights Council’s 58th session, over 100 NGOs denounced an agency that enjoys unchecked arbitrary powers and that is “directly under the authority and supervision of the President and […] serves as a tool of repression.” The NGOs denounced a “culture of impunity” and the fact that NSS agents enjoy immunity from prosecution and that arrests conducted by the agency are not subjected to judicial oversight. They included a list of prominent cases.
Peaceful Assembly
On 1st September 2024, NSS officers stormed and shut down the first general assembly of medical professionals in eight years without explanation. The meeting aimed to transfer union assets and address key challenges in the sector. Despite complying with security protocols, organisers and attendees, including doctors and pharmacists, were ordered to vacate immediately.
On 20th January 2025, authorities confirmed that 16 Sudanese nationals were killed during violent protests in South Sudan. The unrest erupted on 16th January after disturbing videos surfaced showing the bodies of South Sudanese citizens killed in Wad Madani, the capital of Sudan’s Al-Jazirah State. South Sudanese protesters, believing that Sudan’s military and allied groups were responsible for the killings in Al-Jazirah, took to the streets in Juba and other cities. In retaliation, some protesters targeted Sudanese nationals, resulting in 16 deaths, several injuries, and the looting and vandalism of Sudanese-owned shops. The protests were met with a heavy police response, leading to multiple arrests. The South Sudanese police intervened, rescuing several Sudanese nationals and providing them shelter in various police stations. Authorities enforced a nationwide curfew from 6 am to 6 pm on 17th January, which remained in place until its lifting on 27th January.
Expression
On 6th September 2024, security agents released former Juba Mayor Kalisto Ladu without explanation. As previously documented on the Monitor, NSS agents abducted and detained him at their headquarters in Juba after he exposed irregular land deals benefiting powerful figures in March 2024. In June, authorities charged him with conspiracy, subversion, and supplying weapons to insurgents for terrorism. Authorities also accused him of possessing dangerous weapons and spreading false information against the state, but never presented him in court. His lawyer claimed that security forces allegedly tortured Ladu, leaving his body covered in scars and delayed his release to allow his wounds to heal and avoid public scrutiny.
On 28th November 2024, NSS officers detained Emmanuel Monychol Akop, editor-in-chief of The Dawn Newspaper, without presenting an arrest warrant or disclosing the charges. NSS agents visited The Dawn office in Juba, held a meeting with Akop, and then took him into custody. Authorities have denied Akop’s family any contact, claiming visits will only be allowed after complete investigations. They have provided no further details, and as of early March 2025, Akop remained in incommunicado detention. The Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS) has condemned the detention, calling for his immediate release and respect for press freedom.
On 22nd January, South Sudan’s National Communication Authority ordered all internet service providers to block access to social media for at least 30 days and up to 90 days. The regulator claimed the suspension aimed to curb the spread of videos showing the killings of South Sudanese nationals in Sudan, which had sparked violent protests and retaliatory attacks on Sudanese nationals in South Sudan. Amnesty International criticised the order as arbitrary and inconsistent with international human rights standards. The organisation warned that blanket social media bans undermine freedom of information, expression, association and peaceful assembly rights protected under South Sudan’s constitution and international treaties, including the ICCPR and the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights. Amnesty also cautioned that such restrictions set a dangerous precedent, especially given past instances where authorities blocked news websites and disrupted internet access. Authorities eventually lifted the ban after three days.