The United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has cautioned that the country has made no meaningful progress on corruption or political stability as it prepares for its first-ever elections, planned for December 2025 — 15 years after the nation gained independence. The commission, following a tour of the country, reported ongoing killings, displacement, sexual violence, and arbitrary detention, while noting that political and civic space has narrowed and key conditions for credible polls remain unmet. The situation is compounded by escalating violence between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those aligned with imprisoned opposition leader Riek Machar, whose power-sharing agreement has collapsed, and by persistent elite theft of oil revenues that has left the country with little public infrastructure to show for its resources.