South Sudan: Statement by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration Elizabeth Campbell

National Security Council Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs Josh Black and I visited Juba, South Sudan from July 16-19 where we met with President Salva Kiir Mayardit, other senior transitional government officials, civil society representatives, United Nations and diplomatic community partners, and humanitarian aid organizations.  We also visited the Gorom Refugee Settlement, where we spoke with refugees and those providing them with assistance.  The United States is deeply disappointed by the transitional government’s lack of progress toward creating the conditions necessary for genuine and peaceful elections.  We call upon all parties to engage in dialogue, both among leaders in Juba and at the Tumaini Initiative talks in Kenya.  Willingness to engage in dialogue is a key indicator of political will to take the steps needed to establish a better future for the South Sudanese people.  We also expressed concern that the current version of the National Security Service Act includes a warrant-free arrest provision, which would be a significant and troubling step toward further closing of political and civic space.

We outlined the magnitude of U.S. humanitarian assistance in South Sudan.  Our July 5 announcement of over $57 million to address the urgent needs of crisis-affected people, plus the July 18 impressive commitment from U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield, brings the total amount of U.S. Government humanitarian assistance in South Sudan to nearly $399 million to date in Fiscal Year 2024.  The total U.S. humanitarian assistance to South Sudan since independence exceeds $7.3 billion.

We emphasized the transitional government’s responsibility to use public revenue to assist the approximately 75 percent of its own population in need of humanitarian aid, as well as the more than 740,000 people, mostly South Sudanese, who have fled from Sudan since April 2023.  We called for the establishment of a system for full and consistent implementation of exemptions from taxes, duties, and fees for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), UN agencies, humanitarian organizations, and diplomatic missions.

The U.S. relationship with South Sudan began decades ago and is based on values, including belief in peace, human rights, democracy, and the duty of a government to be responsive to its people’s needs.  We look to South Sudan’s leaders to demonstrate alignment with these values.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of U.S. Embassy in South Sudan.