Military & Security

Military - note

The South Sudan People's Defense Forces (SSPDF) primarily concentrate on maintaining both border and internal security. Key issues include disputed national borders, the spillover of conflict from neighboring Sudan, banditry, and the presence of armed rebel factions and militias that have persisted since the civil war concluded in 2020.

Originally established as a guerrilla organization against the Sudanese Government in 1983, the SSPDF was formerly known as the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) and was engaged in the Second Sudanese Civil War (1983-2005). Following the Juba Declaration that arose from the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005, the SPLA merged with the South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF)—the second-largest rebel militia remaining post-civil war—under the SPLA designation. In 2017, the SPLA adopted the name South Sudan Defense Forces (SSDF), and in September 2018, it was rebranded as the SSPDF.

The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been active in the region since 2011, aiming to enhance peace and security while fostering an environment conducive to the political and economic progress of South Sudan. UNMISS currently has around 18,000 personnel deployed. Additionally, the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) has been functioning in the contested Abyei area along the Sudan-South Sudan border since 2011. Its mission encompasses ensuring security, safeguarding civilians, bolstering the Abyei Police Service’s capabilities, de-mining efforts, monitoring and verifying the withdrawal of armed forces from the region, and facilitating humanitarian aid delivery. UNISFA is composed of approximately 3,800 personnel (2025).

Military expenditures

Military and security forces

South Sudan People’s Defense Force (SSPDF): Land Forces (which includes the Presidential Guard), Air Forces, Marine (Riverine) Forces, Reserve Forces; National (or Necessary) Unified Forces (NUF)

Ministry of Interior: South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) (2025).

Military service age and obligation

The legal minimum age for voluntary military service is 18 years, extending to 35 for both men and women; the duration of service is set at 12-24 months (2025).

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

The inventory of the SSPDF comprises mainly Soviet-era weaponry, supplemented by a limited supply of more contemporary equipment, such as armored personnel carriers sourced from the UAE (2025).

Military and security service personnel strengths

Estimates regarding active Defense Forces vary, with an approximate count of 150,000 to 200,000 (2025).