The escalation comes amid growing protection risks for civilians and aid workers, with three aid workers killed between February 7 and 16 in Jonglei and Upper Nile states, according to the UN aid coordination office, OCHA.
Access to some of the worst-affected areas remains uneven despite renewed promises by authorities to allow aid operations.
Last Friday, Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher arrived in the country for a five-day mission to draw international attention to what he described as a deteriorating and underreported crisis.
“So here in South Sudan we have this perfect storm of climate change, conflict, inequality and poverty.“Mr. Fletcher said upon arrival. “Right now, people here in South Sudan feel like no one is listening.”
Emergency relief coordinator Tom Fletcher (left) at Akobo County Hospital, Jonglei State, South Sudan.
Displacement waves
Clashes between the South Sudan People's Defense Forces (the national army) and elements of the rival Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-iO), which resumed in late December, have led to large-scale displacement in central and northern Jonglei.
According to South Sudanese authorities, Nearly 280,000 people have fled their homes in eight counties.and many moved to the Upper Nile and Lake States.
Families are sheltering outdoors or in makeshift structures, in urgent need of food, medical care and basic supplies. Markets and agricultural activities have been disrupted, leaving several communities with little or no access to food.
The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) has expanded food assistance, but fighting and insecurity (including looting of aid convoys) are hampering the response.
Caught in the crossfire
In Akobo, southern Jonglei state, Fletcher visited a local hospital, where at least 93 patients with gunshot wounds had been treated as of February 18.
“Civilians should never be a target,” he said, after meeting with victims, including an 18-month-old child and a 70-year-old grandmother.
At the hospital, an aid worker said: “The father was shot. The mother was kidnapped.“The grandmother had walked for seven days in search of help. When asked if she had received food, Mr. Fletcher observed: “There is no food.“
He added that communities go “weeks without the support they need,” describing “devastating stories of sexual violence, of hunger and starvation, of children arriving and having lost everything.”
Cholera on the march
The fighting has taken a heavy toll on health services. Thirteen facilities have reportedly been damaged or looted, resulting in three deaths and one injury among healthcare workers. In some counties, most facilities have been destroyed or their operations have been suspended.
Meanwhile, cholera continues to spread. Between February 11 and 17, 106 new cases and three deaths were reported in five counties. Since the outbreak began in September 2024, more than 98,000 cases and 1,624 deaths have been recorded nationwide.
Access and responsibility
Although authorities have reiterated directives for unimpeded humanitarian access, their implementation remains inconsistent. Aid convoys have faced denials in some areas and operational constraints have limited movements.
Fletcher said the challenge goes beyond immediate relief, asking: “How do we get a peace process? How do we end this conflict? How do we provide security for the people here?”
“But also, how do we cut through the noise, the noise of distraction and apathy?”
