Renewed clashes in South Sudan have killed civilians, orphaned children and forced hundreds of thousands to flee, deepening a humanitarian crisis in the country’s restive Jonglei State, aid agencies and residents say. In the opposition-held town of Akobo, an 18-month-old boy is being treated for a gunshot wound after an attack on his village that also killed his mother, relatives told AFP. Family members accused government forces of carrying out the raid. The military declined to comment, while local authorities said they lacked details and described civilian injuries as possible crossfire.
South Sudan has been fragile since independence in 2011. A 2018 power-sharing agreement between President Salva Kiir and his rival-turned-deputy Riek Machar reduced large-scale fighting, but the deal has weakened over the past year. According to the United Nations, violence in Jonglei since December has displaced about 280,000 people. Health facilities are struggling to cope. Akobo’s hospital, with a single surgeon, has treated dozens of gunshot victims. In Bor, the state capital, doctors report critical shortages as displaced families pour in. Last year, the only hospital serving more than 100,000 people in Fangak was destroyed in an attack, forcing Doctors Without Borders to suspend operations there.
Children bear the brunt of the crisis. UNICEF says more than half of the displaced are children, many uprooted multiple times. Around 825,000 people are at risk of acute malnutrition across Jonglei, Unity and Eastern Equatoria states. Informal camps along the White Nile and in Lake State are swelling, with limited access to food, healthcare or schooling. Structural challenges compound the emergency. South Sudan ranks last on Transparency International’s corruption index, and relies on donors for up to 90% of healthcare funding, the UN says. The World Bank estimates 70% of children are out of school. Aid groups such as the Norwegian Refugee Council are expanding emergency education and psychosocial support, but warn needs are outpacing resources.
