By Deng Machol
JUBA, South Sudan — Renewed violence in Jonglei State is driving one of South Sudan’s most severe humanitarian emergencies in recent years, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and pushing already vulnerable communities closer to collapse, a senior United Nations official has warned.
Ted Chaiban, Executive Director of UNICEF, said the escalation has triggered mass displacement, widespread family separation, and the destruction of essential services, leaving thousands of children at extreme risk.
At least 286,000 people have been forced from their homes, many fleeing into already fragile areas where populations have surged dramatically — in some locations rising from 6,000 to 30,000 in just two months. The rapid influx has overwhelmed basic services and deepened the humanitarian strain.
Among the most alarming consequences is the growing number of children separated from their families. UNICEF has registered at least 540 unaccompanied children who became separated while escaping the violence. Armed groups have reportedly abducted others, while some families say children were lost in the chaos of flight.
For many, the crisis is deeply personal and devastating.
“The women and children of South Sudan have done nothing to contribute to this escalation of violence, and yet they find themselves — many not for the first time — separated from their children, without shelter, with limited food, and no security,” Chaiban said after a five-day visit to northern parts of the country.
He recounted meeting mothers who had lost children during their desperate journeys to safety. One woman, sitting with her infant, told him she did not know the whereabouts of her five-year-old child.
“That’s a terrifying experience,” Chaiban said. “There is nothing worse than losing your child or not knowing if your child is safe.”
The crisis is unfolding against an already dire national backdrop. Across South Sudan, more than 2 million children are suffering from acute malnutrition, while 2.8 million are out of school. In Jonglei, access to food, clean water, healthcare, and education has been severely disrupted.
Critical infrastructure has also been heavily damaged. At least 28 health facilities have reportedly been looted or destroyed this year alone. In Uror County, a primary healthcare center has been left in ruins, with vaccine storage systems dismantled and water infrastructure stripped away, cutting off lifesaving services for surrounding communities.
Humanitarian organizations, including Médecins Sans Frontières and Oxfam, are responding on the ground, but aid agencies say needs continue to far outpace available resources.
UNICEF has so far delivered more than 200 metric tons of emergency supplies and is preparing to scale up its response, particularly in health, nutrition, and disease prevention, as the rainy season threatens to worsen conditions and limit access to affected areas.
Despite the scale of the intervention, the agency warns that humanitarian assistance alone will not be enough.
“The current crisis risks reversing hard-won gains,” Chaiban said, urging an immediate end to the violence and a renewed commitment to political dialogue. “No progress can be made without peace.”
South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation since gaining independence in 2011, has endured repeated cycles of conflict, displacement, and humanitarian crisis. Although a 2018 peace agreement raised hopes for stability, continued political tensions and localized violence are once again exacting a heavy toll on civilians.
