GNV News, March 23, 2025

Clashes have escalated in South Sudan’s Upper Nile State, and there is concern that rival factions within the central government may return to a state of armed conflict. The trigger was an attack launched in March 2025 by an armed group known as the White Army against the South Sudanese army. Among these incidents, a United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) helicopter carrying government troops came under fire, drawing particular attention after one crew member and several South Sudanese soldiers were killed. The attack was attributed to the White Army. The White Army emerged in the 1990s and is an armed group primarily composed of Nuer people.

President Salva Kiir has accused rival First Vice President Riek Machar of collaborating with the White Army. Machar denies the accusation, but in March several of his allies, including a minister, were arrested on suspicion of arming the White Army. In addition, neighboring Uganda has deployed troops to South Sudan in support of the government, which Machar’s side opposes.

South Sudan became independent in 2011, but armed conflict between the Kiir and Machar camps over the central government broke out in 2013 and 2016. Although many localized conflicts continue, a power-sharing agreement was signed between Kiir and Machar in 2018, and in recent years peace at the national level has been maintained.

Learn more about the situation in South Sudan → 「South Sudan: Unstable politics and severe natural disasters」

Learn more about South Sudan and international reporting → 「South Sudan: Why it is reported in an otherwise underreported Africa」

A mural imbued with a message wishing for peace in South Sudan. In the midst of being painted inside the UN peacekeeping base in the capital, Juba (Photo: Virgil Hawkins)