The rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and movement were curtailed. Government critics and activists faced enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrest and detention, and torture and other ill-treatment. The National Security Service operated with impunity, defying a court order to release a detained government critic. The UN reported numerous human rights violations including extrajudicial executions, conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, and the recruitment and use of children by armed groups. Parliament passed two transitional justice bills to promote reconciliation and provide reparation to victims of the conflict that began in 2013. Food insecurity increased due to ongoing conflict, flooding, displacement and the rising cost of living. Three quarters of the population needed humanitarian assistance and protection. The government failed to introduce adequate preparedness and mitigation policies to address severe climate change-induced risks.

Background

In September, parties to the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) agreed to extend the transitional period from February 2025 to February 2027, postponing elections scheduled for 2024 to December 2026.

In April the UN Human Rights Council renewed the mandate of the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan.

In May the UN Security Council extended the arms embargo on South Sudan until 30 May 2025.

In October, Akol Koor Kuc was dismissed from his position as director general of the National Security Service (NSS), a position he had held since South Sudan’s independence in 2011. During his tenure the NSS was accused of committing numerous serious human rights violations and other crimes under international law.

The war in neighbouring Sudan gravely impacted the economy when damage to oil pipelines in March halted South Sudan’s oil exports through Port Sudan, which had contributed more than 85% of government revenue.

According to UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, approximately 2 million people remained internally displaced. South Sudan hosted over 500,000 refugees, primarily from Sudan. Meanwhile, approximately 2.3 million South Sudanese people had sought refuge in neighbouring countries since the conflict began in 2013.

Freedom of expression, association and assembly

On 3 July the Transitional National Legislative Assembly passed the National Security Service Act 2014 (Amendment) Bill 2024. It became law by default on 12 August, after President Salva Kiir Mayardit failed to sign it into law or return it to parliament for amendment. The law strengthened the NSS’s already sweeping powers that allowed them to curtail the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly, among other rights. According to local media, in September the NSS ordered medical professionals to halt their general assembly meeting in Juba, the capital, without providing explanation, and despite their having obtained security clearances and adhered to necessary protocol. It was reported to be the first such meeting to be held in eight years.

In January, Jonglei State’s Ministry of Information and Communication issued a circular directing all government institutions, NGOs and private sector actors to obtain ministerial approval before making public announcements through broadcast media, public announcement systems (microphones) or posters. The ministry rescinded the circular a few days later following strong objections from the Jonglei chapter of the Union of Journalists of South Sudan and civil society activists.

In June, security forces repressed two peaceful protests held in response to the cost of living crisis, dispersing protesters and arresting at least two people in Jonglei State’s capital, Bor.

Enforced disappearances

On the night of 30 March, Juba’s ex-mayor Kalisto Lado was arbitrarily arrested at his home in Juba by officers believed to be from the NSS. He was subjected to enforced disappearance for three months. In June the government admitted to holding Kalisto Lado on accusations related to “conspiracy”, “subverting constitutional government”, “supplying weapons to insurgents, bandits, saboteurs”, “possession of dangerous weapons” and “publishing or communicating false statements prejudicial to the Republic of South Sudan”. He was released without charge on 6 September. During detention, he was subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.

Arbitrary arrests and detentions

On 2 January, Raphael Juma Zacharia, a student activist who had been arbitrarily arrested in December 2023 and detained at an NSS detention facility known as the Blue House in Juba, was released after writing a letter of apology to the NSS. He had been arrested in relation to a speech he gave at a student rally at the University of Upper Nile in November 2023 referencing allegations of corruption and impunity by the NSS and its leadership.

On 24 March, human rights activist Michael Wetnhialic was arbitrarily arrested by NSS officers travelling in vehicles without registration plates, while on his way to a meeting at the Nile Fortune Hotel in Juba around 8pm. According to reports, he was arrested on suspicion of running Facebook and WhatsApp accounts under fake names to leak sensitive information critical of the NSS and the government. On 7 November, he was released from NSS detention without charge.

Morris Mabior Awikjok Bak, a South Sudanese citizen and government critic, was released from detention on 8 November, three months after the Juba High Court granted him bail. He had been arbitrarily arrested in Nairobi, Kenya, in February 2023, from where he was forcibly returned to Juba. More than 14 months of his detention was spent at the Blue House, without investigation, trial or access to his lawyer. On 16 April, he appeared in court for the first time, escorted by NSS officers, and was charged with defamation in a case filed by the then-NSS director general.

Raphael Juma Zacharia, Michael Wetnhialic and Morris Mabior Awikjok Bak were each subjected to torture and other ill-treatment during their detention by the NSS.

Freedom of movement

Members of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-In Opposition (SPLM-IO) said that their leader, First Vice President Riek Machar, remained subject to restrictions which prevented him from leaving Juba. The government rejected the members’ claims that they were responsible for the alleged restrictions. In 2019 the Council of Ministers of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (a regional body) had passed a resolution recommending that his travel restrictions be lifted.

On 25 September, according to media reports, the NSS prevented Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, parliament’s first deputy speaker and deputy chairman of SPLM-IO, from boarding a flight to Uganda at Juba International Airport. The action prompted him to publicly criticize the lack of freedom of movement in the country.

Extrajudicial executions

According to the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), by October, at least 54 people, including a child, were subjected to extrajudicial executions by government authorities, including members of the security services.

Abuses by armed groups

Clashes between armed actors in some areas left hundreds dead, most of them civilians, according to UNMISS which documented 1,069 killings resulting from inter-communal and political violence.

Sexual and gender-based violence

The Action Plan for the Armed Forces on Addressing Conflict-related Sexual Violence in South Sudan was renewed for three years (2024–2026) after expiring on 31 December 2023.

UNMISS documented 157 incidents of conflict-related sexual violence affecting 183 survivors (113 women, 66 girls and four men), who were aged between nine and 65.

Children’s rights

According to UNMISS, there were 84 grave violations in the context of the armed conflict against 68 children (53 boys, nine girls and six whose sex was unknown). The violations included the killing of 12 and the maiming of two children (seven boys, one girl and six others whose sex was unknown). Among these children, 41 boys and three girls were recruited and used by armed groups; and five girls were raped. At least nine boys suffered multiple violations of both recruitment and use, and abduction by armed groups.

Economic and social rights

The economic situation was characterized by the exorbitant cost of living, high inflation and a depreciating pound. The payment of civil servants’ salaries was delayed for more than nine months, leading civil servants in Bor and employees from the Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile and Rumbek universities, among others, to hold protests.

According to OCHA, the food security situation deteriorated due to flooding, ongoing conflict, displacement and the high cost of living. The conflict in neighbouring Sudan continued to compound the already dire humanitarian situation. As of late December, more than 900,000 people, including returnees, refugees and asylum seekers, had fled Sudan and crossed into South Sudan.

Nine million people, or 75% of the population, required humanitarian and protection assistance. Approximately 7.1 million people (56.3%) were expected to face crisis-level or more severe food insecurity during the year. Malnutrition rates remained high, with more than 2.5 million children and women facing acute malnutrition. The UN’s Humanitarian Response Plan 2024 had received only 68.5% of the requested USD 1.8 billion needed to support 6 million people with life-saving assistance and protection services.

Inadequate revenue generation led to reduced spending on public services, including health and education, and an increase in debt. Seventy per cent of children were temporarily out of school due to the economic situation.

Right to truth, justice and reparation

On 9 May in Nairobi, Kenya, the High-Level Mediation for South Sudan peace talks – also known as the Tumaini Initiative – began between the government and armed groups that did not sign the R-ARCSS. The Tumaini Initiative – which translates as “hope”, put emphasis on fast-tracking the provisions of the 2018 agreement and establishing an environment conducive to its implementation.

On 11 November, President Kiir signed into law two transitional justice bills to address the legacy of the conflict which began in 2013 and provide reparations to victims. The Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing Act 2024 sought to establish a commission to promote peace, national reconciliation and healing. The Compensation and Reparation Authority Act 2024 aimed to identify persons eligible for reparations and to establish a fund for this purpose.

Right to a healthy environment

South Sudan continued to face severe climate change-induced risks, for which the government failed to introduce adequate preparedness and mitigation policies. According to the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre, it ranked as the second most vulnerable country to natural hazards globally.

In October the Council of Ministers approved the declaration of a state of emergency in flood-affected areas, after floods destroyed livelihoods, submerged critical infrastructure and displaced populations to higher grounds. According to OCHA, over 1.4 million people nationwide were affected, while about 379,000 people were flood-displaced in 22 counties.