UNITED NATIONS - Pakistan voted in favor of the United Nations Security Council resolution renewing the mandate of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) for one year, while expressing serious concerns that the proposed reduction of troop levels to 12,500 is unjustified given the deteriorating security situation in the world's youngest nation .
The resolution, adopted on April 30, 2026, with 13 votes in favor and abstentions from China and Russia, extends UNMISS until April 30, 2027 . The new troop ceiling of 12,500 soldiers represents a significant reduction from the previous limit of 17,000, though the police ceiling remains at approximately 2,100 personnel .
Speaking during the explanation of vote, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, stated that Pakistan voted in favor primarily to express support for the peacekeeping mission itself. However, he made clear that Islamabad shares many of the concerns raised by African nations, China, and others regarding the resolution's provisions .
Ambassador Jadoon emphasized that "the proposed reduction of the troop ceiling to 12,500 is not justified by the deteriorating political and security situation in South Sudan." He warned that the move "could negatively affect the implementation of the protection of civilians' mandate and the safety and security of peacekeepers" .
The Pakistani envoy stressed a fundamental principle that Islamabad has consistently advocated: "mandates must be matched with adequate capabilities and resources" .
Pakistan voted in favour of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan mandate renewal resolution, with Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN, saying the proposed reduction of troop levels to 12,500 is unjustified given the worsening... pic.twitter.com/H9NsxDP3ED
- Pakistan TV (@PakTVGlobal) May 1, 2026
Beyond the troop reduction, Ambassador Jadoon expressed regret that the resolution "significantly curtails the Mission's political role." He noted that a core task of UNMISS has been to support implementation of the Revitalized Agreement and help sustain the political transition in South Sudan .
"At a time when progress on key benchmarks was stalled, the Mission's political engagement should remain central rather than peripheral," Ambassador Jadoon stated, adding that the current approach "goes against the principle that peacekeeping missions should support political solutions" .
Pakistan also registered regret over the removal of language requiring consultations with troop- and police-contributing countries in the context of the Military and Police capability study, calling such consultations essential for effective mission planning .
The Security Council's decision to reduce the troop ceiling comes despite a marked deterioration in South Sudan's security environment. Recent weeks have seen a resurgence in fighting between government forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and opposition militias supporting suspended Vice President Riek Machar, who was placed under house arrest last year .
US Ambassador Mike Waltz, whose country drafted the resolution, expressed disappointment that the troop ceiling was not reduced further. Washington had initially sought to lower the maximum number of troops to 7,000 . Waltz told the council that the "core problem is a host government that actively undermines its commitments to peace and the mission it agreed to accept," noting more than 480 incidents where peacekeepers were blocked and humanitarian access was denied between October and March .
However, the United States' position was not shared by several council members, including Pakistan, China, Russia, and the three African nations currently on the council: Somalia, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo .
Chinese Ambassador Sun Lei, explaining China's abstention, warned that "the contingency drawdown has already affected the Mission's functions in protecting civilians and assisting in humanitarian aid" . He argued that UNMISS should instead be "optimized and strengthened" given recent developments in the country .
Russian Deputy Ambassador Anna Evstigneeva echoed these concerns, stating that the peacekeeping mission should have a "sufficient level of resources" to "be ready for any scenarios" .
According to UN figures, UNMISS had approximately 9,000 soldiers on the ground at the end of March 2026, a sharp decrease from nearly 14,000 deployed a year ago . The new troop ceiling of 12,500, while reduced from the authorized cap, will not immediately affect current deployment levels as the mission has already downsized due to budget constraints .
Under the terms of Resolution 2820, UNMISS shall have the following mandate: protection of civilians; creating conditions conducive to the delivery of humanitarian assistance; supporting implementation of the Revitalized Agreement and Peace Process; and monitoring, investigating and reporting on alleged violations of international humanitarian law and human rights abuses .
The resolution also requests the Secretary-General's Office to conduct a "capability study" of the mission within 120 days to assess "the adequacy of the Mission's current force levels" .
Pakistan remains one of the largest troop-contributing countries to UN peacekeeping missions worldwide, including UNMISS. Pakistani peacekeepers have served with distinction in some of the world's most challenging environments, earning recognition for their professionalism and dedication to protecting civilians under difficult circumstances .
This is not the first time Pakistan has raised concerns about the direction of UN peacekeeping mandates. During the previous UNMISS mandate renewal in May 2025, Pakistan abstained from voting, with Ambassador Jadoon criticizing the resolution as "unnecessarily politicized" and objecting to the inclusion of issues "which have no direct link with UNMISS" .
Pakistan's consistent position reflects a principled approach to peacekeeping: missions must be given adequate resources to fulfill their mandates, political engagement must remain central to peacekeeping operations, and troop-contributing countries must be consulted on decisions affecting their personnel .
As South Sudan prepares for general elections scheduled for December 2026, regional organizations including the African Union are actively mediating and calling on all parties to uphold the revitalized peace agreement . The coming months will be critical for the country's fragile transition.
Pakistan's message to the Security Council was clear: peacekeeping missions are instruments of the Council and require "sustained and predictable political and financial support," particularly in fragile environments. "While host state's cooperation with UNMISS is essential, and we encourage South Sudan to address the obstructions and facilitate the mission in its mandate implementation, peacekeeping operations require sustained and predictable political and financial support from this Council," Ambassador Jadoon concluded .
