Northern Bahr el Ghazal official and UNMISS representatives pose for photo after meeting over slated field office shutdown|Courtesy

The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has officially informed the Governor of Northern Bahr el Ghazal State, Simon Ober Mawut, of its plan to close the Aweil Field Office later this year.

According to a statement posted on the state government’s official social media page on Tuesday, the UNMISS delegation said the move is part of a wider UN policy to scale down about 75 percent of its field operations globally due to funding cuts from major donors.

In South Sudan, the reduction has affected four field offices, including the one in Aweil.

The Aweil Field Office is expected to cease operations by 31 December 2025. After the closure, a limited number of UNMISS staff will continue to operate from the Mission’s Regional Office in Wau, Western Bahr el Ghazal State.

On October 20, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) announced plans to close its field office in Torit, Eastern Equatoria State, as part of a mission-wide scaling-down driven by global UN funding reductions.

Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General (SRSG), Ms. Kiki Gbeho, informed Eastern Equatoria State Governor Louis Lobong Lojore of the decision on Tuesday.

She explained that the closure is a direct result of a directive to reduce UNMISS’s operational budget by 18 percent, forcing the mission to make “hard decisions.”

“We are planning to close down the office here in Torit, but I want to assure the Governor and the people of Eastern Equatoria that UNMISS is not leaving the country, nor are we abandoning this state, Ms. Gbeho stated.

The Acting SRSG emphasized that the withdrawal was not a reflection of neglect but rather a sign of confidence in the state’s progress toward peace and stability.

The move comes as the UN grapples with significant financial shortfalls globally, which led the Fifth Committee to approve across-the-board spending cuts affecting multiple missions in June 2025.

Ms. Gbeho assured the Governor that UNMISS will initiate discussions on how to ensure priority activities continue even as they scale down operations.

She stated that the mission remains committed to supporting South Sudan’s peace process and development agenda.