South Sudan’s Kiir directs military to reactivate joint border security with Sudan

October 10, 2025 (JUBA) – South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has directed the military to resume a joint security coordination mechanism with neighbouring Sudan, aiming to reactivate border monitoring activities between the two nations.

Speaking at the swearing-in ceremony for the new chief of defence forces, Kiir told the military leadership that their constitutional mandate was to protect the country’s sovereignty from external threats, not to meddle in domestic politics.

“Your duty is to defend territorial integrity and protect the country against external aggression,” Kiir said. “Please reactivate joint coordination mechanisms with your counterparts, especially Sudan, and start monitoring activities on the borders.”

In September 2012, Sudan and South Sudan signed a non-aggression pact, which included establishing a Safe Demilitarized Border Zone (SDBZ) and a Joint Border Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JBVMM). The United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) was tasked with providing oversight.

However, implementation of the agreement stalled due to disagreements over final border demarcation and mutual accusations of support for rebel groups. Subsequent attempts to revive the pact in 2015, 2016, and 2018 were never fully operationalized.

The ongoing war in Sudan has created a security vacuum, allowing armed groups to exploit the demilitarized zone. Independent experts and satellite imagery have previously confirmed that both countries have violated the pact by maintaining military installations within the SDBZ.

Santo Dominic Madut, a South Sudanese human rights lawyer, told Sudan Tribune on Friday that the agreement has been largely ignored.

“The 2012 cooperation agreement… exists only on paper, and the border remains militarized and unstable,” Madut said. “The current political and military situation in Sudan has taken the attention away from external issues.”

The SDBZ was meant to extend 10 km on either side of an agreed-upon centre line. The JBVMM has headquarters in Kadugli, Sudan, and Gok Machar, South Sudan, but logistical challenges have persistently hampered its operational effectiveness.