South Sudan Struggles as 1.3 Million Return from Sudan War
Floods and Conflict Deepen South Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis
IOM Warns of Worsening Emergency in South Sudan
Juba/Geneva: More than 1.3 million people, mainly South Sudanese nationals, have fled the war in neighbouring Sudan and returned to South Sudan, intensifying an already severe humanitarian and political crisis in one of the world’s most displacement-affected countries, the International Organization for Migration has reported.
In an update delivered from Juba to journalists in Geneva, Ugochi Daniels, Deputy Director for Operations of the UN migration agency, said the scale of human suffering in South Sudan remains largely overlooked despite its magnitude. Nearly 10 million people now require humanitarian assistance across the country, while more than 2.3 million are internally displaced. Over the past two months alone, more than 250,000 people have been newly uprooted by violence and insecurity, a sharp rise that has barely registered on the international stage.
The latest wave of displacement is closely linked to the conflict that erupted in Sudan in 2023 and has continued into its third year, driving millions from their homes. For South Sudan, the return of more than a million people represents not only a humanitarian challenge but also a reminder of the deep historical ties and unresolved conflicts between the two countries, which were once united as a single state before South Sudan gained independence in 2011 after decades of civil war.
Independence initially raised hopes of stability and development, but political rivalry within South Sudan soon plunged the country into renewed violence in 2013. Fighting between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those aligned with his former deputy, Riek Machar, fractured the nation along political and ethnic lines and produced one of Africa’s largest displacement crises. Although a peace agreement was signed in 2018, its implementation has remained fragile, with power-sharing arrangements repeatedly strained by mistrust, armed confrontations and delayed elections.
Current fighting has again been reported in the northeastern states of Jonglei and Upper Nile between government troops and forces loyal to Machar, who remains under house arrest while facing treason charges. The violence has directly affected humanitarian operations. United Nations agencies have suspended or limited aid delivery in parts of Upper Nile and northern Jonglei, where insecurity has made road access impossible and forced relief teams to rely on river corridors to bring food and nutrition assistance to communities in urgent need.
Earlier this month, three humanitarian workers were killed in Jonglei and Upper Nile, underscoring the dangers faced by aid personnel and prompting warnings from senior United Nations officials about the rapidly deteriorating security environment. The UN’s top humanitarian coordinator, Tom Fletcher, issued an alert for the people of South Sudan this week, cautioning that the convergence of conflict, displacement and climate shocks is pushing millions closer to famine-like conditions.
Climate change has compounded the crisis. For several consecutive years, extreme flooding linked to heavy rains and the swelling of the Nile basin has submerged vast areas of northern South Sudan. In Bentiu, the country’s largest displacement site, more than 109,000 people live surrounded by floodwaters and are increasingly exposed to disease, hunger and the loss of already fragile shelter and sanitation systems.
To address these threats, the International Organization for Migration has worked with the South Sudanese government and the World Bank on flood mitigation and land reclamation projects. These efforts have made it possible for families to begin rebuilding flood-resistant homes and to reconnect with basic services such as clean water, healthcare and education, offering a measure of stability in an otherwise volatile environment.
Despite these initiatives, Daniels warned that humanitarian access remains unpredictable. Assurances from authorities have been received, but conditions on the ground change rapidly. Aid workers may gain access to certain areas one day only to be blocked the next, severely disrupting operations and delaying assistance to vulnerable populations.
The return of more than 1.3 million people from Sudan is unfolding against this backdrop of political uncertainty and environmental stress. Many of those arriving are returning to communities that themselves depend on humanitarian aid, placing additional strain on limited resources and heightening the risk of renewed communal tensions.
Aid agencies have stressed that South Sudan’s crisis cannot be viewed in isolation. It is the product of years of unresolved political conflict, regional instability and climate vulnerability. Without sustained international attention and funding, officials warn that the humanitarian emergency will deepen further, leaving millions trapped between war, floods and hunger.
Daniels said the scale of suffering in South Sudan remains out of proportion to the attention it receives globally, urging donors and governments to act before conditions deteriorate further. As fighting continues in key regions and displacement rises both within the country and across its borders, South Sudan faces a renewed test of its fragile peace and the capacity of the international community to prevent yet another humanitarian catastrophe.
– global bihari bureau
