Africa-Press – South-Sudan. The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) on Tuesday announced plans to close its field office in Aweil, the capital of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, citing a global funding shortfall that has forced the UN to scale down its peacekeeping operations.
UNMISS spokesperson Priyanka Chowdhury said the closure, expected to take effect before the end of this month, follows a directive from the UN Secretary-General for all peacekeeping missions to implement a 15 percent reduction in operations to achieve cash savings.
“The Secretary-General instructed UNMISS, as well as all other peacekeeping missions, to put in place a 15% contingency plan. This means we have to make actual cash savings,” said Priyanka following a meeting with Northern Bahr el Ghazal State Governor Simon Ober Mawut in Aweil.
Despite the closure, Chowdhury assured residents that UNMISS remains committed to supporting the people of Northern Bahr el Ghazal and maintaining its operations from nearby bases.
“I want to assure you that we will still be coming here. We will continue patrolling and engaging with communities, even though we will not have a full-fledged field office. Our teams will operate from our bases in Wau and neighboring states,” she said.
“It’s been a long-standing relationship with the people of Northern Bahr el Ghazal. We feel deeply connected to them. The mission is not leaving South Sudan or the communities we serve.”
Meanwhile, Gabriel Deng Yel, the State Minister of Information, confirmed that the mission’s downsizing will affect national staff and local operations.
“Their visit was to officially inform His Excellency the Governor about the closure of the UNMISS office in Aweil this month. Communication from Juba had already indicated that the offices in Aweil and Torit will be closed due to funding challenges,” Deng said.
“According to the mission’s representatives, the decision is purely financial — they cannot continue managing all the field offices across the country.”
Established in July 2011 following South Sudan’s independence, UNMISS has been mandated to protect civilians, monitor and investigate human rights violations, support peace agreement implementation, and help create conditions for long-term stability and development.
In Northern Bahr el Ghazal, the mission has played a crucial role in community reconciliation, building the capacity of local authorities, and assisting humanitarian partners in delivering life-saving aid to vulnerable populations. It has also facilitated inter-communal dialogues to prevent violence and promote peaceful coexistence.
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