South Sudan has reiterated its demand for the closure of major United Nations peacekeeping bases in Wau and Bentiu, saying the move is a matter of national sovereignty as the UN mission carries out a mandated drawdown.
As thousands of peacekeepers are repatriated, Juba says it has agreed to the closure of seven smaller bases operated by the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), but maintains its position on the strategically important sites in Wau and Bentiu.
“The government of South Sudan remains steadfast in its request for the closure of the UNMISS bases in Wau and Bentiu,” Foreign Affairs Minister Monday Semaya Kumba said while briefing diplomats in Juba on Saturday, citing sovereignty and national security concerns.
In a statement, the government also criticised UNMISS for what it described as a lack of prior consultation on a major contingency plan guiding the mission’s drawdown. Kumba said South Sudan had cooperated with the plan’s implementation in “good faith,” but added that the initial failure to consult “does not reflect the responsibilities of a host country.”
He said the issue had been raised directly with UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
The bases in Wau, the capital of Western Bahr el Ghazal state, and Bentiu, the capital of Unity state, are among UNMISS’s largest and most logistically significant outside Juba, and are located in areas that have experienced intense conflict.
South Sudan says it has facilitated the troop reduction and rejects claims that it has obstructed the process. Kumba said that between Nov. 28 and Dec. 10, 2025, a total of 1,143 troops from Ghana, Nepal, Bangladesh and India were repatriated, with nearly 2,500 more due to leave by early January 2026.
Addressing a recent incident involving a cancelled Nepalese rotation flight, Kumba blamed UN “procedural irregularities” rather than government interference. He said the aircraft arrived with unauthorised personnel, but the government still approved the departure of the original contingent. The flight later left empty after UNMISS declined to proceed under the conditions.
To oversee the drawdown, a joint ad hoc technical committee has been established, which the government described as constructive, despite the ongoing disagreement over Wau and Bentiu.
Kumba confirmed that Juba has accepted the closure of seven other bases: Torit, Aweil, Yei, Akobo, Koch, Bunj and Pariang.
UNMISS spokesperson Priyanka Chowdhury told Radio Tamazuj that, in response to a UN-wide financial crisis, the mission is required to cut spending by 15% over the next six months.
She said achieving the savings has required the closure and downsizing of some field offices and smaller bases, reductions in civilian and uniformed personnel, and cuts to operational spending.
While acknowledging the impact, Chowdhury said the mission remained committed to its mandate. “While these changes will affect UNMISS activities in support of South Sudan, we remain firmly committed to helping secure peace and security for the communities we serve,” she said.
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was established on July 8, 2011, and deployed following South Sudan’s independence on July 9, 2011, under UN Security Council Resolution 1996.
The mission was given a mandate focused on supporting the world’s newest state to stabilise and build institutions.