This week, UN commits to helping 60,000 displaced South Sudanese by December 31. German and South African experts will help Thailand and Cambodia with arbitration. Civilians face dangers moving in Sudan.
UN Commits to Helping 60,000 Displaced South Sudanese by December 31
On January 15, the UN committed to reducing the number of displaced South Sudanese people by December 31, 2026, and supporting “their stable integration into communities.” The UN’s joint communique on the plan involves the government’s and UN’s assistance in the following areas: land and housing security; basic services and infrastructure development; peacebuilding, safety, and security; coordination and data; and resource mobilization and transparency.
The “land and housing security” point involves the government ensuring the provision of land and housing support for relocation, return, and settlement initiatives.
The communique noted that there were around 2.7 million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and 3 million returnees by the end of 2025.
South Sudan’s conflict is between the military, which is loyal to Kiir, and insurgents believed to be allied with the suspended vice-president Riek Machar. Fighting between government and opposition forces continues to kill and injure civilians in several states, with 169 people killed and 4,000 displaced in the Abiemnhom area of Unity state on March 1.
German and South African Experts Will Help Thailand and Cambodia with Arbitration
German and South African experts will help Thailand and Cambodia with a UN-backed conciliation process to resolve the maritime dispute between the two countries, Thai foreign minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow said on June 16.
Cambodia initiated the compulsory conciliation process in early June after Thailand unilaterally withdrew from the 2001 memorandum of understanding that had provided a framework for negotiations on overlapping maritime claims in the Gulf of Thailand.
Cambodia’s government said it “welcomes the Thai Government’s announcement that it has decided to participate in the conciliation process.”
The dispute is over around 10,000 square miles of sea in the Gulf of Thailand, known as the Overlapping Claims Area, which is estimated to hold nearly 12 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and large quantities of oil, worth about $300 billion.
Adding to tensions between the two countries is the conflict that broke out along the border in July 2025, which came to a ceasefire in December 2025.
Civilians Face Dangers Moving in Sudan
In Sudan, moving from one place to another has become dangerous to civilians. On June 15, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for the Sudan reported that both sides in the conflict—the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), along with allied groups—are stopping civilians at checkpoints and accusing them of supporting opposing forces, detaining them without legal process.
Those targeted include journalists, humanitarian workers, traders, community leaders, and other civilians trying to reach safer areas or maintain livelihoods, the Mission said.
The Mission warned that extortions linked to these arbitrary arrests are compounding the country’s humanitarian crisis, citing cases when families were told to pay large sums to secure the release of detained relatives. Some reportedly faced demands equivalent to around US$40,000, an impossible amount of money for families already caught in conflict.
Meanwhile, the Mission noted that at least 70 individuals, including humanitarian workers, were arrested in El Geneina during May 2026 and have not been heard from since.
The Mission called for renewed international efforts to ensure accountability.
Keywords: peace, South Sudan, Thailand, Cambodia, Sudan, humanitarian, maritime, MOU, refugees, displaced, IDPs, conflict, conflict resolution, peace journalism
Tara Abhasakun
Tara Abhasakun is Peace News Network (PNN)'s managing editor. She is journalist based in Christchurch, New Zealand, and formerly in Bangkok, Thailand. She has reported on a range of human rights issues involving youth protests in Thailand, as well as arts and culture. Tara's work has appeared in several outlets, including Al Jazeera and South China Morning Post.
