Source description last updated:  15 April 2021

In brief: The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) is a UN mission that seeks to consolidate peace and security and facilitate development in the Republic of South Sudan.

Coverage on ecoi.net:

Quarterly briefs on violence affecting civilians, human rights reports, media monitoring reports, press releases and other relevant publications

Covered on ecoi.net on a weekly basis, for South Sudan

Mission/Mandate/Objectives:

“UNMISS' objective is to consolidate peace and security, and help establish conditions for development in the Republic of South Sudan, with a view to strengthening the capacity of the Government of South Sudan to govern effectively and democratically and establish good relations with its neighbours.” [...]

In the light of armed conflict that spread through South Sudan in late 2013/early 2014,“[o]n 27 May 2014, the Security Council, by unanimously adopting its resolution 2155 (2014) reprioritized the mandate of UNMISS towards the protection of civilians, human rights monitoring and support for the delivery of humanitarian assistance [...].” (UNMISS website: Background, undated)

“The UNMISS Human Rights Division (HRD), which also represents the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in South Sudan, works to promote human rights in the [...] country. Its core activities include monitoring, investigating, verifying and reporting on human rights violations and abuses, as well as violations of international humanitarian law, including conflict-related sexual violence.” (UNMISS website: Human Rights, undated)

Funding:

UNMISS is funded through a separate budget approved by the General Assembly on an annual basis. The budget approved for the period 07/2019–06/2020 amounted to USD 1,269,688,200. (UNMISS website: Facts and Figures, undated)

Scope of reporting:

Geographic focus: South Sudan

Thematic focus: Human rights, conflict and security, political developments, rule of law

Methodology:

UNMISS human rights reports, including the Quarterly briefs on violence against civilians, are based on interviews with primary sources such as victims and eyewitnesses of violence that are carried out by UNMISS human rights officers during field visits. In addition, secondary sources are consulted in order to corroborate the findings of the primary investigation. These may include “local and national administrative authorities, religious leaders, humanitarian actors and service providers operating in the affected areas, as well as documentary and photographic evidence” (UNMISS: Conflict-related violations and abuses in Central Equatoria; September 2018—April 2019, 3 July 2019, p. 3; see also: UNMISS: Conflict-related sexual violence in Northern Unity; September - December 2018, 15 February 2019, pp. 5-6 and UNMISS: Quarterly Brief on Violence Affecting Civilians (July-September), 7 December 2020, p. 1). UNMISS seeks to verify all information “using several independent, credible and reliable sources” (UNMISS: Conflict-related violations and abuses in Central Equatoria; September 2018–April 2019, 3 July 2019, p. 3). Abuses against civilians are documented by the Human Rights Division (HRD) by means of an incident-based tracking mechanism, with data “disaggregated by the sex and age of victims” (see, for example, UNMISS: Quarterly brief on violence affecting civilians (April–June 2020), 20 October 2020, p. 1 and UNMISS: Quarterly brief on violence affecting civilians, 2 June 2020, p. 1).

Language of publication:

English

Further reading / links:

United Nations Security Council: Resolution 1996 (2011) Adopted by the Security Council at its 6576th meeting, on 8 July 2011 [S/RES/1996 (2011)], 8 July 2011
https://www.un.org/en/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=S/RES/1996(2011)

United Nations Security Council: Resolution 2567 (2021) Adopted by the Security Council on 12 March 2021 [S/RES/2567 (2021)], 12 March 2021
https://unmiss.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/res_2567_2021_e.pdf

All links accessed 15 April 2021.