UNMISS closes Yei office, pledges continued support from Juba
JUBA, Central Equatoria (Eye Radio) – The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has confirmed the closure of its office in Yei, but assured Central Equatoria State (CES) Governor Emmanuel Adil that it will continue all support activities for Yei from its Juba office.
Victor Fasama, UNMISS Civil Affairs Field Officer, met with Governor Adil this morning in Juba to discuss their operation, including the closure of the Yei office.
Mr. Fasama reassured the Governor that the move does not mean the mission is leaving the region. Instead, Yei staff will be relocated to the Juba office to continue covering the county.
“We remain committed, as we told the Governor, that although the Yei office is closing, we are working from Juba to cover Yei. So, we are not leaving the state; it’s just a closure of one office,” Fasama stated.
He confirmed that the UNMISS team appreciated the Governor’s vision and pledged commitment to work collaboratively with the state administration.
Due to a major global budget shortfall, the United Nations is scaling back its peacekeeping operations worldwide, including in South Sudan, the head of UN Peace Operations warned on Tuesday. The initial announcement regarding the cuts was issued in October.
The Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix stated that the lack of funding will result in a 25 percent troop reduction across nine of the eleven active peacekeeping missions worldwide.
“We do not have a choice but to implement these reductions, which are due to the partial non-payment by some states,” Lacroix explained at a meeting with troop-contributing countries in India.
The UN peacekeeping budget faces a significant shortfall, largely because the United States—which was expected to contribute $1.3 billion—has notified the UN it will only pay approximately $682 million of its pledged amount for the 2025–2026 operations.
Lacroix emphasized that these cuts are happening despite a worsening global security landscape, which demands more, not less, from peacekeepers.
He stressed the indispensable role of the missions in saving lives and promoting stability worldwide.
