Nairobi, February 20, 2026 (SSNA) — A coalition of more than 120 civil society organizations has urged the UN Human Rights Council to renew and strengthen its scrutiny of South Sudan, warning that the country faces a “renewed slide into full-scale conflict” if international action falters.
In a joint letter addressed to member and observer states ahead of the Council’s 61st session, the organizations called for the extension of the mandate of the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan (CHRSS). The signatories argue that the Commission remains “the only mechanism” currently tasked with collecting and preserving evidence of serious violations committed since the outbreak of conflict in 2013.
According to the groups, the human rights situation in South Sudan has “deteriorated further” over the past year, despite the Council’s decision in April 2025 to extend the Commission’s mandate by what they describe as an “unprecedented majority.”
Escalating Violence and Mass Displacement
Citing findings reported by UN investigators, the organizations state that fighting intensified between March and October 2025, displacing more than 370,000 people internally and driving others into neighboring countries. They refer to warnings by the Commission that South Sudan’s political transition is “falling apart,” and that the country risks returning to deadly war unless urgent international measures are taken.
The coalition also points to reporting by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which documented what it described as a “continued deterioration” in the political and security situation, including increased abductions and sexual violence. From late December 2025 to early January 2026 alone, the groups note, fighting and airstrikes reportedly displaced more than 100,000 people in Jonglei State.
The signatories argue that these developments reflect growing risk factors for atrocity crimes and call on the Council to continue explicitly assessing such risks under the UN Framework of Analysis for Atrocity Crimes.
Allegations of War Crimes and Widespread Abuses
In their letter, the organizations state that grave abuses remain pervasive and are occurring in a context of widespread impunity. They cite allegations of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, recruitment and use of child soldiers, and conflict-related sexual violence, including rape, gang rape, and sexual slavery.
They also refer to reports that security forces have carried out sweeping arrests since mid-2025 under anti-crime operations, alleging that young men and boys were forcibly conscripted and that young women were subjected to sexual assault.
According to the coalition, such violations are taking place “in a context of near-complete impunity,” particularly at senior command levels within the state’s military and administrative hierarchy.
Political Repression and Election Concerns
The organizations further express concern about shrinking civic space ahead of elections scheduled for December 2026. They describe ongoing arbitrary arrests and detentions by security agencies, particularly the National Security Service, which they say continues to exercise broad and “unchecked” powers.
They also reference the arrest, indictment, and house arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar, stating that growing political tensions raise serious concerns about the viability of the 2018 peace agreement.
If elections proceed under current conditions, the groups argue, they are likely to take place amid widespread restrictions on freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly, and political participation, increasing the risk of further violence.
Justice Mechanisms Stalled
The coalition notes that although legislation establishing a Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing and a Compensation and Reparation Authority has been passed, the bodies have yet to be operationalized.
They also stress that the long-promised Hybrid Court for South Sudan remains stalled, which they attribute to a lack of political will. The signatories reiterate their call for the African Union to take urgent steps to establish and operationalize the Court, arguing that justice for victims remains “elusive” more than a decade after the conflict erupted.
Call for a Strong Resolution
In light of these developments, the organizations urge the Human Rights Council to adopt a robust resolution that would:
- Extend the CHRSS mandate in full;
- Request further written and oral reporting;
- Encourage continued assessment of atrocity crime risk factors; and
- Make clear that the Council stands ready to respond to any further deterioration.
“At this critical time,” the coalition writes, “international scrutiny of South Sudan’s human rights situation remains vital.”
As diplomats convene in Geneva, the debate over the renewal of the Commission’s mandate is likely to serve as a key test of the Council’s commitment to prevention, accountability, and sustained engagement in one of the world’s most fragile states.
Signatories
Below is the list of organizations that signed the joint letter. You can place this section at the bottom of the article under a heading such as “Signatories”.
- Abyei Information and Radio Service (AIRS)
- Action 54 (South Sudan)
- Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture – Burundi (ACAT-Burundi)
- Action for Community Education and Development (ACEDO) – South Sudan
- Action for Community Initiative (ACI) – South Sudan
- Action for Community Transformation Initiative (ACTI) – South Sudan
- AfricanDefenders (Pan-African Human Rights Defenders Network)
- Amahoro Development International Center (ADIC)
- Amnesty International
- Ana Taban Arts Initiative
- ANIKA Women Association
- Association for Sustainable Development INKINGI (ASD-INKINGI)
- Association Panafricaine pour la Protection des Droits Humains et des Personnes Détenues (APRODH ASBL)
- Aweil Civic Engagement Center (ACEC)
- Ayod County Civil Society Network (ACCN)
- Bentiu Youth Peace Initiative
- Burkinabè Human Rights Defenders Coalition (CBDDH)
- Burundian Human Rights Defenders Coalition (CBDDH)
- Burundian Human Rights League Iteka
- Burundian Union of Journalists (UBJ)
- Center for Innovation and Creativity – South Sudan
- Central African Network of Human Rights Defenders (REDHAC)
- Centre for Democracy and Development (CEDED) – South Sudan
- Centre for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice (CIGPJ) – South Sudan
- Centre for Innovation and Creativity – ICT Solutions (South Sudan)
- Centre for Legal Aid and Governance (CLAG) – South Sudan
- Centre for Legal Aid and Justice (CLAJ) – South Sudan
- Centre for Peace and Advocacy (CPA) – South Sudan
- Centre pour le Renforcement de l’Éducation et du Développement de la Jeunesse (CREDEJ) – Burundi
- Centre for Transformation and Development – South Sudan
- Change Agents Organization (South Sudan)
- Child Pearl – South Sudan
- Christian Aid South Sudan
- CIVICUS
- Civil Rights Defenders
- Coalition of Human Rights Defenders-Benin (CDDH-Bénin)
- Coalition of Human Rights Defenders / Living in Refugee Camps (CDH/VICAR)
- Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO)
- Community and Environmental Support Agency (CESA)
- Community Initiative for Good Governance (South Sudan)
- Community Organization for Peer Educators (COPE) – South Sudan
- The Community of Practice Against Mass Atrocities
- Connection e.V.
- Defenders (East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project)
- Dialogue and Research Institute (DRI) – South Sudan
- The Eastern Africa Child Rights Network (EACRN)
- Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR)
- Empower the Girl Child Initiative
- Fellowship of Reconciliation Zimbabwe
- Fondation Rester Debout pour la Paix (FOREDEPA)
- Forestry Conservers Association of South Sudan (FCA-SS)
- Forum des Organisations Nationales Humanitaires et de Développement (FONAHD) – DRC
- Forum pour le Renforcement de la Société Civile (FORSC) – Burundi
- Foyer de Développement pour l’Autopromotion des Personnes Indigentes et en Détresse (FDAPID)
- Geneva for Human Rights – Global Training & Policy Studies
- Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect (GCR2P)
- Global Rights
- HAKI ZANGU Inclusive Aid for Humanity – DRC
- Humanitarian Development Organization (HDO) – South Sudan
- Human Rights Watch
- Impact Generation Centre
- INAMAHORO Movement – Women and Girls for Peace and Security (Burundi)
- International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI)
- International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)
- International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH)
- INTREPID South Sudan
- Iteka Initiative
- Itkwa Women Empowerment Organization (IWEO) – South Sudan
- Jonglei Civil Society Network (JCSN)
- Junub Center for Human Rights
- Justice for Refugees Network Organization – Uganda
- King Umurundi Freedom (KUF-ASBL)
- Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada
- Ligue des Droits de la Personne dans la Région des Grands-Lacs (LDGL)
- Lomore Development Organization (LDO)
- Markaz al Salam (South Sudan)
- Mobile Humanitarian Agency – South Sudan
- Movement of Women and Girls for Peace and Security in Burundi (MFFPS)
- Movimento Internazionale della Riconciliazione – MIR Italy
- National Press Club South Sudan (NPCSS)
- National Women Empowerment and Rehabilitation Organization (NWERO) – South Sudan
- Natural Justice and Human Rights for Women (NJHRW) – South Sudan
- Network of Human Rights Journalists (NHRJ) – The Gambia
- Network of the Independent Commission for Human Rights in North Africa (CIDH AFRICA)
- Nile Centre for Human Rights and Transitional Justice (NCHRTJ)
- Nile Initiative for Development (NID)
- Nile Sisters Development Initiative Organization (NSDIO)
- Nonviolent Peaceforce
- Opportunity Hub South Sudan (OHSS)
- Pan-African Peacemakers Alliance (PAPA Africa) – South Sudan
- Partenariat pour la Protection Intégrée (PPI)
- Passion for the Needy
- Peoples Demand Organization (PEDO) – South Sudan
- Rape is a Crime
- Rede Caboverdiana dos Defensores de Direitos Humanos (RECADDH)
- Refugee Rights Action Organization (RRAO)
- Regional Centre for Training and Development of Civil Society (RCDCS)
- Réseau des Citoyens Probes (RCP) – Burundi
- Resilient Women Organization – South Sudan
- Rights Realization Centre (RRC)
- Ruba Education Initiative for Greater Yei
- Rural Development Initiative – South Sudan
- Rural and Urban Development Agency (RUDA) – South Sudan
- Safe Orphans Charity Organization – South Sudan
- Soro Lo Jukudu Initiative (Uganda)
- SOS-Torture / Burundi
- South Sudan Action Network on Small Arms (SSANSA)
- South Sudan Community-Based Organization (SSCBO)
- South Sudan Human Rights Defenders Network (SSHRDN)
- South Sudan Land Alliance
- South Sudan Society of Public Relations Officers
- Standard Action Liaison Force
- Support Peace Initiative Development Organization (SPIDO) – South Sudan
- Synergie Ukingo Wetu (SUWE)
- Tournons La Page Burundi
- Transitional Justice Working Group (South Sudan)
- Union of Journalists of South Sudan (UJOSS)
- Voice of Women Organization (VOW)
- Volunteers Welfare for Community-Based Care of Zambia (VOWAZA)
- War Widows and Orphans Association (WWOA) – South Sudan
- Women Ambassadors for Peacebuilding – South Sudan
- Women Coalition for Peace and Justice – South Sudan
- Women with Impairment Organization (WWIO) – South Sudan
- Women Peace Forum (South Sudan)
- Women Training and Promotion (WOTAP) – South Sudan
- Yei Women Development Agency (YWDA)
- Yei Youth Initiative for Human Rights and Development (YYIHRD)
- Youth for Democracy South Sudan
- Youth Vision South Sudan (YVSS)