South Sudan, 15 years on: Still fighting for peace

What Happened

On South Sudan's 15th independence anniversary, activists, analysts, and humanitarian workers describe a country still struggling to secure peace despite the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS). James Boboya Edimond, CEO of the Institute of Social Policy Research, said less than 25 percent of the agreement has been implemented, with delays in security sector reforms and the unification of forces undermining the transition. Intercommunal violence, revenge attacks, cattle raiding, and killings by unknown gunmen continue across Upper Nile, Jonglei, and other states. Humanitarian needs have deepened, driven by conflict, climate shocks, and the arrival of over 1.2 million returnees and refugees from the war in Sudan. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) conducted 266 medical evacuations in the first half of 2026, a 50 percent year-on-year increase, and its spokesperson Kieran Seager noted that Juba Military Hospital is operating beyond capacity and that donor funding is not keeping pace with needs.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The stalled peace process perpetuates domestic instability and a humanitarian crisis that is deepening with the influx of over 1.2 million people from Sudan’s war. With elections scheduled for December 2026, failure to implement the agreement could reignite large-scale violence, reversing the fragile gains since 2018 and worsening one of the world’s most severe displacement and hunger emergencies, with regional spill-over risks.

Watch For

The 22 December 2026 elections as a critical milestone; progress on the permanent constitution and deployment of unified forces; humanitarian funding gaps as the ICRC warns of insufficient resources; and the impact of the Sudan conflict on South Sudan’s stability, including continued refugee and returnee inflows.