Key facts
- The South Sudan Conflict is a civil conflict in East Africa, currently Active (Medium intensity).
- South Sudan's fragile peace deal remains under strain from political rivalries, recurrent communal violence, and delayed transitions, against a backdrop of severe humanitarian need.
- Key actors: Government forces, Opposition factions, Communal militias.
- What's at stake: Peace deal survival, Communal violence, Humanitarian crisis.
Latest developments
The headlines below are pulled automatically from Google News (the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) and link to primary reporting. They are updated periodically; last refreshed 2026-06-21.
- Vietnamese man deported from U.S. to South Sudan repatriated after year in detention2026-06-19 — PBS
- Vietnamese man deported to South Sudan by US leaves for home2026-06-19 — Reuters
- Vietnamese man deported from U.S. to South Sudan returns home after year in limbo2026-06-21 — Radio Tamazuj
- Whistleblower kidnapped after explosive South Sudan revelations2026-06-19 — Financial Times
- South Sudan minister says opposition leader Riek Machar will ‘die in jail’2026-06-19 — Sudans Post
- London ruling complicates South Sudan’s efforts to raise cash from oil2026-06-18 — Business Insider Africa
- In This Small Town, Ebola Is the Least of Residents’ Concerns2026-05-22 — The New York Times
- South Sudan’s Jonglei: Who burned homes and silenced hospitals?2026-06-16 — Al Jazeera
Overview
South Sudan's fragile peace deal remains under strain from political rivalries, recurrent communal violence, and delayed transitions, against a backdrop of severe humanitarian need.
This page is an evergreen orientation. Figures and control change continually — confirm the latest with the primary sources listed below.
Key actors
- Government forces — aligned with the presidency.
- Opposition factions — former civil-war rivals in a power-sharing deal.
- Communal militias — involved in localized violence.
- Civilian population — facing displacement and food insecurity.
What's at stake
- Peace deal survival: whether the transition holds.
- Communal violence: localized but deadly clashes.
- Humanitarian crisis: widespread hunger and displacement.
- Oil and economy: control of revenue and resources.
South Sudan Conflict explained: the key dynamics
A fragile power-sharing peace
A 2018 agreement ended the worst of the civil war by bringing rival leaders into a unity government, but implementation has been repeatedly delayed and the arrangement remains fragile.
Communal and localized violence
Much of the ongoing violence is localized and communal — cattle raiding, inter-communal clashes, and sub-national disputes — which can be deadly even amid the national peace deal.
Humanitarian fragility
Flooding, displacement, and food insecurity keep large parts of the population dependent on aid, and the world's youngest country remains acutely fragile.
Timeline: how the south sudan conflict unfolded
- 2011 — South Sudan gains independence from Sudan.
- 2013 — Civil war erupts between factions loyal to rival leaders.
- 2018 — A power-sharing peace agreement is signed.
- 2020–26 — A fragile unity government holds amid recurring communal violence and delays.
How this conflict is mapped and tracked
South Sudan's violence is increasingly localized, which ACLED captures as communal and militia events rather than a single national front. UCDP tracks the civil-war dyads. Humanitarian agencies estimate displacement and hunger; figures are estimates compiled under difficult conditions.
For how these datasets differ, see ACLED vs UCDP vs CFR and our guide to conflict-tracking tools.
How it fits the global picture
This is one of 29 active armed conflict theaters tracked on the Global Armed Conflicts Map. Explore related and concurrent conflicts:
Frequently asked questions
Is South Sudan at war in 2026?
South Sudan has a fragile peace strained by political rivalry and communal violence. Confirm the current status with primary sources such as ACLED, UCDP, and the CFR Global Conflict Tracker.
Who is involved in South Sudan's conflict?
The main parties are the government and former civil-war opposition factions, alongside communal militias.
How can I follow it live?
Use the interactive conflict map to see this theater alongside 28 other active conflicts, filter by intensity and region, and open intelligence briefings for each.
Is South Sudan still at war?
The large-scale civil war has been paused by a fragile peace deal, but localized and communal violence continues and the political transition remains incomplete.
How is South Sudan's conflict different from Sudan's?
They are separate conflicts in separate countries: Sudan's is the 2023 SAF–RSF war, while South Sudan's stems from its post-independence civil war and a fragile power-sharing peace.