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Event security in Juba

Event Security

Event Security in Juba, South Sudan

Event security in Juba for oil-sector conferences and UN coordination meetings. Licensed teams under South Sudan's 2021 PSC Act, JUB airport transfers and medevac planning.

High risk South Sudan

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Juba is the capital of South Sudan and a significant hub for the country’s oil sector, UN peacekeeping operations and one of the world’s largest humanitarian response programmes. Petronas and Dar Petroleum Operating Company, as well as CNPC, operate in South Sudan’s oil fields. UNMISS maintains its headquarters at UN House, and the 2018 R-ARCSS peace framework generates a regular cycle of diplomatic and technical committee meetings. The FCDO South Sudan travel advice (2026) advises against all but essential travel and highlights armed robbery, carjacking and kidnapping targeting international organisations as the primary concerns for event planners in Juba. The US State Department classifies South Sudan at Level 4 (Do Not Travel).

The Juba event security environment

Armed robbery and carjacking targeting vehicles used by international organisations are the dominant daily crime risk in Juba. All delegate transfers must be conducted in convoy using non-descript vehicles with no organisational branding, and licensed armed guards are a standard operational measure. The fragile peace environment means that political events can produce short-notice security developments: organisers should maintain a continuously monitored security brief in the days before and during any event. Venue selection in the Tongping, Kololo and UN House areas provides the most manageable environment for international events. Source: FCDO South Sudan travel advice (2026); US State Dept South Sudan Level 4 advisory (2026).

Planning events in Juba

Private Security Companies Act 2021-compliant operators are required for all event security functions. Delegate transfer planning from Juba International Airport (5km) must include inside-terminal collection and pre-positioned vehicles in convoy. The medevac protocol to Nairobi must be contracted and confirmed before the event commences, and the political security calendar should be assessed and updated in the days immediately before each event.

For the full Juba security context, see our Juba city security briefing. Delegates requiring personal close protection at Juba events should review our close protection services for Juba.

Planning

What our event security covers

Juba Event Landscape

Juba's international event activity is concentrated in four sectors: oil and gas, humanitarian and development, UN peacekeeping coordination and government affairs. Petronas and Dar Petroleum Operating Company, as well as CNPC, operate in South Sudan's oil fields and their representatives attend regular bilateral negotiations and compliance meetings in the capital. The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) maintains its headquarters at UN House, which is a central venue for humanitarian coordination meetings attended by UNHCR, WFP, MSF, IRC and dozens of other organisations with South Sudan programmes. The fragile peace framework established under the 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan (R-ARCSS) generates diplomatic events and technical committee meetings, often involving senior government officials and foreign diplomatic representatives. The humanitarian sector's scale in Juba means that coordination events can draw a large number of international NGO representatives, requiring crowd and access management appropriate for extended events over multiple days. Commercial conferences and investment forums are limited in number but do occur, particularly around oil-sector licensing rounds and development finance discussions.

South Sudan Private Security Companies Act 2021

The Private Security Companies Act of 2021 is the governing legislation for private security companies operating in South Sudan. Under this Act, companies must be registered with the relevant national authority, personnel must hold individual licences, and the use of firearms by private security contractors is subject to specific licensing conditions. The Act established a more formal regulatory framework than had previously existed, and compliance verification is essential before engaging any Juba event security operator. The South Sudan National Police Service (SSNPS) and the National Security Service (NSS) maintain oversight of the security environment at major international events. Events involving senior government officials or foreign diplomatic delegations will attract NSS interest, and advance coordination with the relevant government liaison is an operational requirement. Operators working in Juba should also maintain professional relationships with UNMISS security coordination structures, which provide an additional layer of situational awareness across the city.

Fragile Peace and Residual Armed Threat

The FCDO South Sudan travel advice (2026) advises against all but essential travel to South Sudan and highlights the risk of armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, and the residual potential for inter-communal and political violence. The 2018 R-ARCSS peace agreement has produced a degree of stabilisation in Juba, but armed clashes have continued in some states and the political environment remains fragile. The US State Department classifies South Sudan at Level 4 (Do Not Travel). In Juba specifically, armed robbery and carjacking targeting vehicles used by international organisations is a documented and persistent threat. This threat is highest at night and on routes between the airport, guesthouses and event venues. Vehicles used for delegate transfers must be non-descript in appearance, high in mechanical reliability, and should never carry visible branding, flags or insignia that identify the occupants as international organisation personnel. Armed guards in transfer vehicles are a standard operational measure for Juba; the licensing requirements under the 2021 Act must be verified for any armed personnel deployed.

Venue Access Control: UN House and Embassy District

UN House, on the western edge of Juba, is the primary venue for humanitarian coordination meetings. It operates its own UNDSS-managed access control system and perimeter security. For meetings held within UN House, the event security team's primary responsibility is coordination with UNDSS on access protocols, delegate registration and emergency response procedures. For events held outside UN House at hotels or conference facilities in the Tongping and Kololo residential and diplomatic districts, a dedicated event credentialling system is required. The Juba Freedom Centre, the Radisson Blu Juba and several guesthouses in the Tongping area are used for corporate and diplomatic events. Venue access control should include: photo-verified delegate credentials, vehicle access management with pre-approved vehicle lists, a sweep-and-clear protocol before each delegate session, and a designated event security command post with communications coverage across all event zones. Movement between venues should be conducted in convoy with advance route confirmation.

JUB Airport Delegate Transfers

Juba International Airport (JUB) is located approximately 5 kilometres from the city centre and the Tongping district. The arrivals process at JUB can be slow, with immigration and customs clearance sometimes taking significantly longer than at comparable airports. The terminal environment is basic and the area immediately outside the terminal perimeter requires active crowd management. An inside-terminal or near-aircraft collection protocol should be arranged in advance with the airport authority, enabling the event security team to meet delegates as close to the disembarkation point as access permits. Transfer vehicles should be pre-positioned in the designated secure area and all vehicles should be checked before each use. The transfer route from JUB to the Tongping district passes through areas where carjacking incidents have been recorded: convoy movement with communications cover is required and night arrivals should be avoided where the itinerary permits.

Medical Infrastructure and Medevac Planning

Medical infrastructure in Juba is extremely limited. The Juba Teaching Hospital is the primary public medical facility but it faces severe supply and capacity constraints. International-standard emergency or surgical care is not available in the city. The UN Medical Clinic at UN House can provide basic emergency stabilisation for UN-affiliated personnel. For all serious medical emergencies, medical evacuation is the required response. The standard medevac protocol for Juba events is evacuation to Nairobi, Kenya (approximately one hour 30 minutes by air), where Aga Khan University Hospital and Nairobi Hospital provide international-standard emergency and surgical care. Evacuation to Kampala, Uganda (approximately one hour by air) is an alternative for certain case types. Air charter is the most operationally reliable medevac transport from JUB given the limited commercial flight schedule. All delegates must hold insurance that explicitly covers medical evacuation from conflict-affected environments. A contracted medevac provider must be named in the event security plan and the activation protocol communicated to all team members before the event begins.

Vetted operators. Local knowledge. Proven protocols.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

The FCDO South Sudan travel advice (2026) advises against all but essential travel to South Sudan and rates the environment at high risk, with armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping and the potential for political violence as the primary concerns in Juba. The US State Department classifies South Sudan at Level 4 (Do Not Travel). Professional event security, tested convoy transfer protocols and a retained medevac provider are required. Source: FCDO South Sudan travel advice (2026); US State Dept South Sudan Level 4 advisory (2026).

The Private Security Companies Act of 2021 governs private security company registration, individual personnel licensing and the use of firearms by private security contractors in South Sudan. Compliance verification against this Act is essential before engaging any Juba event security operator. The National Security Service (NSS) and SSNPS also play an oversight role at major international events.

Juba hosts oil and gas sector negotiations and bilateral meetings (Petronas, Dar Petroleum and CNPC operate major South Sudan assets), UN and humanitarian coordination meetings at UN House (UNMISS headquarters), R-ARCSS technical committee diplomatic sessions, and development finance discussions. The humanitarian sector’s scale makes multi-day coordination events with large delegate numbers a regular feature of the Juba conference calendar.

Juba International Airport (JUB) is 5 kilometres from central Juba. Inside-terminal or near-aircraft collection should be arranged in advance with the airport authority. All transfers must be conducted in convoy with communications cover. Night arrivals should be avoided where possible. Vehicles must be non-descript in appearance with no organisational branding, and armed guards are a standard measure for Juba transfers under 2021 Act-licensed operators.

The standard medevac protocol for Juba is evacuation to Nairobi, Kenya (approximately one hour 30 minutes by air) for emergency care at Aga Khan University Hospital or Nairobi Hospital. Evacuation to Kampala, Uganda (approximately one hour) is an alternative for some case types. Air charter is required for reliable medevac from JUB. All delegates must hold insurance covering evacuation from conflict-affected environments. Source: FCDO South Sudan travel advice (2026).
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