U.S. withdraws peacekeepers from UN mission in South Sudan – sources

JUBA – The United States has withdrawn its contingent of peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) earlier this month, sources familiar with the matter said, amid heightened tensions and continued fighting.

The withdrawal, which occurred on April 6, 2025, involved military staff officers stationed in Juba, where South Sudan’s first civil war as a nation began in December 2013. These officers supported UNMISS’s military operations, including planning and logistics.

A UN peacekeeping spokesperson confirmed the withdrawal to Sudans Post, describing it as temporary but not specifying when the troops might return.

“On April 6, a group of military staff officers from the United States of America serving with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) were temporarily withdrawn from Juba at the request of the U.S. authorities,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the U.S. personnel “served as staff officers within UNMISS’ military component, supporting mission planning, operations, and logistics.”

The spokesperson expressed gratitude for contributions from troop-contributing countries and stressed their importance for the mission’s mandate.

“UN Peacekeeping and the UN Mission in South Sudan are grateful for the continued support of troop-contributing countries to the Mission’s vital task of protecting civilians, facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance and supporting the implementation of the peace agreement,” the spokesperson said.

The UN staffer added, “As highlighted by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMISS, Nicholas Haysom to the Security Council last Wednesday, their contributions are essential to ensure the continuity of the mission’s mandate during the current crisis.”

As of February, the United States had deployed 22 troops to UNMISS including 4 experts and 18 staff officers, according to UNMISS records reviewed by Sudans Post. The spokesperson did not specify the number of U.S. troops withdrawn or whether the withdrawal encompassed the entire U.S. contribution.

The U.S. move comes amid rising tensions in South Sudan between the main signatories of the revitalized peace agreement. First Vice President and armed opposition SPLM/SPLA (IO) leader Riek Machar was put under house detention by President Kiir’s security forces on March 26 after fighting between a militia linked to the SPLA-IO and the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF), Kiir’s army.

Observers have warned of a potential return to civil war, reminiscent of the violence in December 2013 and July 2016, which resulted in an estimated 400,000 deaths, according to 2018 estimates.

Edward Carpenter, Director of World Without War and a former U.S. peacekeeper in South Sudan, expressed concern about the withdrawal’s impact. In an email to Sudans Post, Carpenter described the move as “troubling,” given the officers’ role in the mission, and argued their departure could harm UNMISS’s effectiveness.

“As a former peacekeeper who served in South Sudan, I am gravely troubled to discover that the small contingent of American military officers assigned to the peacekeeping forces of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was recently withdrawn from the country – unannounced – at a time when the critical jobs they perform in planning, operations, civil-military relations, and logistics are needed more than ever,” Carpenter wrote.

Carpenter said the withdrawal lacked transparency and noted similar past decisions, expressing doubt that personnel safety was the only factor.

“The ‘quiet disappearance’ of these officers from UNMISS highlights a disturbing lack of transparency, reduces the effectiveness of the peacekeeping force and raises serious questions about America’s commitment to the ideals of the UN charter and to its closest military allies – the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, whose officers remain at their posts,” he said.

Carpenter criticized the U.S. military’s approach, stating that its departure from the peacekeeping mission “is strongly reminiscent of previous withdrawals of US military staff from missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Palestine, and like those earlier withdrawals, was likely ordered under the pretext of ensuring their safety.”

He argued for the importance of maintaining peacekeepers in South Sudan, emphasizing the training and security of U.S. personnel. Carpenter also emphasized the strategic importance of the U.S. officers within UNMISS, particularly for civilian protection, noting the strong defenses of their base.

“The base where American peacekeepers assigned to UNMISS are stationed is the largest, most heavily defended UN base in the entire country – I speak from experience when I say that of all Americans in South Sudan, they are among the least vulnerable,” he said.

The core mission of UNMISS is to protect civilians, a task made more critical by ongoing violence. Carpenter questioned whether U.S. military leaders would prioritize personnel safety over civilian protection.

“And their core mission, along with over 13,000 of their UN military colleagues, is to protect civilians in the country – a mandate which covers all civilians, including the many American civilians who work in South Sudan as members of the UN mission, other UN agencies, and humanitarian organizations,” he stated, calling for the officers’ return.