SOUTH SUDAN’S government grounded four aircraft registered under the United Nations mission on Monday, alleging that they were used for spying and smuggling.

South Sudan’s foreign minister, Monday Semaya Kumba, that said a government committee was examining the aircraft after intelligence reports raised security concerns, and two were found with advanced surveillance and intelligence recording systems.

But UN mission spokeswoman Priyanka Chowdhury said all air assets are used “solely in support of our mandate to help protect civilians and support lasting peace in South Sudan.”

She said that the UN mission has been talking with South Sudan’s government “for a while now to resolve this issue” and said the mission works transparently with it on UN operations.

In 2017, South Sudan’s government grounded UN aircraft after peacekeepers were deployed to guard the country’s main airport.

The government said that was not part of their mandate.

More than 70 per cent of South Sudan’s 11 million people rely on humanitarian assistance for food, healthcare and other basics, according to the UN, whose mandate includes helping to deliver aid.

More than 165,000 people have been forced to flee conflict during 2025 and obliged to seek safety both within the country and across borders.