NEW YORK — With South Sudan six weeks away from its first national vote since independence, the head of the UN mission in the country told the Security Council on Tuesday (November 10) that the real test is whether the country's political transition holds together beyond polling day.

Source: UNifeed, Nov 10, 2026

“The central challenge facing South Sudan today is whether the transition remains anchored in the Revitalized Peace Agreement and whether the gains of recent years can be preserved and sustained beyond the election,” said Anita Kiki Gbeho, head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), briefing the 15-member Council in New York.

Source: UNifeed, Nov 10, 2026

The elections are set for 22 December — the first national elections since South Sudan became independent in 2011, the UN said. Ambassadors were expected to press for an inclusive process and credible polls, while civilians bear the brunt of fighting, hunger and displacement.

Source: UN News, Nov 10, 2026

In September, President Salva Kiir dissolved the transitional unity government, removed all vice-presidents, including First Vice-President Riek Machar, and appointed a caretaker administration, UNifeed reported. Opposition groups have rejected the moves as breaching the power-sharing terms of the 2018 peace agreement.

Source: UNifeed, Nov 10, 2026

“The true measure of success is simple: whether South Sudanese citizens are safer tomorrow than they are today,” Gbeho told the Council.

Source: UNifeed, Nov 10, 2026

Warnings on money and on a rushed vote

Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, the African Union's High Representative for the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea, pointed to a funding gap. “The government does not seem to have enough resources to be able to finance these elections,” he said, according to UNifeed.

Source: UNifeed, Nov 10, 2026

Murithi Mutiga of the International Crisis Group warned the vote could backfire. “We are concerned that rushed elections could be a decisive final blow to the 2018 framework and would open the door to a return to sustained large-scale violence,” Mutiga said.

Source: UNifeed, Nov 10, 2026

Violence, hunger and blocked patrols

The security situation has deteriorated in several regions, according to the Secretary-General's latest report. Clashes in Upper Nile displaced more than 35,000 people, and an ambush on a UN patrol in Jonglei in August killed three peacekeepers, UNifeed and UN News reported.

Source: UNifeed / UN News, Nov 10, 2026

U.S. diplomat Jennifer Locetta said the government of South Sudan “blocks UNMISS patrols, stalls approvals and harasses UN personnel.” The United Kingdom's Deputy Permanent Representative, Ambassador Kate Foster, told the Council the authorities must honour the Status of Forces Agreement and allow UNMISS to operate without obstruction, and recalled that attacks on peacekeepers may constitute war crimes.

Source: UNifeed, Nov 10, 2026; GOV.UK, Nov 10, 2026

Foster said almost 8 million people in South Sudan already face acute food insecurity, and that only 2% of the national budget is spent on health and education. The UN estimates that 2.5 million South Sudanese face emergency levels of hunger, and that 73,300 people are in catastrophic conditions.

Source: GOV.UK, Nov 10, 2026; UNifeed, Nov 10, 2026

South Sudan's deputy ambassador, Sabino Edward Nyawella Amaikwey, responded: “We encourage UNMISS to recognise the progress achieved, however gradual, while engaging the Government as a partner in addressing outstanding challenges.” He said international engagement should avoid approaches that could be perceived as taking sides among political actors or encroaching on matters within the sovereign responsibility of the government and people of South Sudan.

Source: UNifeed, Nov 10, 2026