As Displacement Surges In South Sudan, Regional Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
03 June
Violence between armed groups in Upper Nile state and other flashpoints has crippled essential services, triggered food insecurity and worsened disease outbreaks, including cholera – forcing some to be displaced repeatedly.
Roughly 65,000 have been internally displaced in Upper Nile state alone.
Access to aid in conflict hotspots is limited, with fighting and movement restrictions cutting off assistance.
Lifesaving supplies, including medicine and healthcare to curb rising cholera cases, have halted, while rains threaten to worsen the crisis, flooding roads and driving up transport costs.
South Sudan has also absorbed over a million people fleeing conflict in Sudan.
Regional crisis
Another 103,000 South Sudanese have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, pushing the total number of South Sudanese refugees to 2.3 million.
'This emergency could not have come at a worse time,' said Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR's Regional Director for the East, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region.
'Many of the refugees are seeking safety in countries which have challenges of their own or are already dealing with emergencies amidst ongoing brutal funding cuts, straining our ability to provide even basic life-saving assistance.'
Despite the conflict in Sudan, 41,000 South Sudanese have sought refuge there – 26,000 in White Nile state, where over 410,000 South Sudanese already live, many repeatedly displaced due to ongoing violence in their host country.
The surge in arrivals in Sudan has created an urgent need for additional space, while essential services are overwhelmed due to cholera outbreaks and ongoing security challenges.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 23,000 have arrived amid the country's own insecurity.
Some 21,000 South Sudanese have sought refuge in Ethiopia. Previously living in makeshift shelters along riverbanks near the border, new arrivals are now receiving UNHCR aid further from the border; however, infrastructure and services in the area remain severely overstretched, worsened by a cholera outbreak.
Uganda, which hosts one million South Sudanese refugees, has taken in 18,000 since March – a 135 per cent year-on-year increase. Nearly 70 per cent are children; many forced to take longer and more hazardous routes to safety.
Call for support
UNHCR is providing refugees with critical relief items, documentation and specialised support to survivors of gender-based violence.
But to provide necessary support for the next six months – including shelter, water, health and nutrition screening, as well as cash assistance – the agency requires $36 million.
Calling for an immediate end to hostilities, UNHCR urged all parties to spare civilians further suffering.
Unrest in Warrap state
In related developments, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) voiced deep concern over escalating intercommunal violence in Tonj East county, Warrap state, urging the Government to intervene and deploy security services to address the situation.
The violence has been driven by attempts to recover stolen cattle and revenge for the previous loss of lives, resulting in more than 80 casualties, although the numbers are yet to be verified.
UNMISS is intensively engaging with state and local authorities to calm the situation, in addition to increasing patrols, however peacekeepers are experiencing significant challenges reaching some of the impacted areas due to a proliferation of checkpoints manned by armed youth.
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As Displacement Surges In South Sudan, Regional Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
03 June Violence between armed groups in Upper Nile state and other flashpoints has crippled essential services, triggered food insecurity and worsened disease outbreaks, including cholera – forcing some to be displaced repeatedly. Roughly 65,000 have been internally displaced in Upper Nile state alone. Access to aid in conflict hotspots is limited, with fighting and movement restrictions cutting off assistance. Lifesaving supplies, including medicine and healthcare to curb rising cholera cases, have halted, while rains threaten to worsen the crisis, flooding roads and driving up transport costs. South Sudan has also absorbed over a million people fleeing conflict in Sudan. Regional crisis Another 103,000 South Sudanese have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, pushing the total number of South Sudanese refugees to 2.3 million. 'This emergency could not have come at a worse time,' said Mamadou Dian Balde, UNHCR's Regional Director for the East, Horn of Africa and Great Lakes region. 'Many of the refugees are seeking safety in countries which have challenges of their own or are already dealing with emergencies amidst ongoing brutal funding cuts, straining our ability to provide even basic life-saving assistance.' Despite the conflict in Sudan, 41,000 South Sudanese have sought refuge there – 26,000 in White Nile state, where over 410,000 South Sudanese already live, many repeatedly displaced due to ongoing violence in their host country. The surge in arrivals in Sudan has created an urgent need for additional space, while essential services are overwhelmed due to cholera outbreaks and ongoing security challenges. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), 23,000 have arrived amid the country's own insecurity. Some 21,000 South Sudanese have sought refuge in Ethiopia. Previously living in makeshift shelters along riverbanks near the border, new arrivals are now receiving UNHCR aid further from the border; however, infrastructure and services in the area remain severely overstretched, worsened by a cholera outbreak. Uganda, which hosts one million South Sudanese refugees, has taken in 18,000 since March – a 135 per cent year-on-year increase. Nearly 70 per cent are children; many forced to take longer and more hazardous routes to safety. Call for support UNHCR is providing refugees with critical relief items, documentation and specialised support to survivors of gender-based violence. But to provide necessary support for the next six months – including shelter, water, health and nutrition screening, as well as cash assistance – the agency requires $36 million. Calling for an immediate end to hostilities, UNHCR urged all parties to spare civilians further suffering. Unrest in Warrap state In related developments, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) voiced deep concern over escalating intercommunal violence in Tonj East county, Warrap state, urging the Government to intervene and deploy security services to address the situation. The violence has been driven by attempts to recover stolen cattle and revenge for the previous loss of lives, resulting in more than 80 casualties, although the numbers are yet to be verified. UNMISS is intensively engaging with state and local authorities to calm the situation, in addition to increasing patrols, however peacekeepers are experiencing significant challenges reaching some of the impacted areas due to a proliferation of checkpoints manned by armed youth.
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Article – CNS Let us work together for a feminist and gender-just inclusive world order where everyone has equal rights, equal dignity and equal access and control of resources, irrespective of their caste, creed or gender identity. Gender inequality and toxic masculinity … The ongoing conflict in South Sudan has disempowered and traumatised the marginalised people like LGBTQI+ community, people living with HIV, sex workers and people with disability. There is physical violence, domestic violence, and sexual abuse, shared Rachel Adau, Executive Director of the Women's Empowerment Centre South Sudan, that works for the empowerment of socially disadvantaged and excluded groups in South Sudan. In the words of Rachel, 'Our healthcare system is breaking down. Maternal and child healthcare is at its worst because the health facilities have no services to offer. There is also increased risk of communicable diseases. 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Israeli strikes have killed around 4000 people in Lebanon and thousands of buildings and houses have been destroyed. Hospitals and healthcare facilities have been bombed. The conflict has exacerbated existing inequalities, leading to increased vulnerability and challenges in accessing basic needs and services. The cost of physical damages and economic losses due to the conflict in Lebanon is estimated at US$ 8.5 billion, according to a World Bank report. In terms of economic growth, the conflict is estimated to have cut Lebanon's GDP growth by an estimated 9% in 2024. The vulnerable and marginalised groups – women and girls, gender diverse individuals, people living with HIV, people with disabilities, elderly and others have been the worst affected, shared Bertho Makso who works with the International Planned Parenthood Federation at its Arab World Regional Office in Lebanon and leads regional community engagement and networks. Bertho is also co-founder of Proud Lebanon, an organisation that provides support for the LGBTQI+ community. Bertho is grateful to IPPF for supporting Proud Lebanon through the Lebanese Association For Family Health (SALAMA) to provide critical humanitarian support focusing on sexual and reproductive health and mental healthcare and outreach for the LGBTQI+ individuals and for people living with HIV. They have provided free medical services (including mental health services), specialised services and lifesaving antiretroviral therapy services to people living with HIV and hormonal therapy for transgenders in a dignified manner. Extreme Climate events taking their toll According to Nelly Munyasia, Executive Director at Reproductive Health Network of Kenya, the Global South continues to face many humanitarian crises. 'We face floods, we face hunger, we also face war, and women and girls and the LGBTQI+ community continue to be the most affected. There is an increase in gender-based violence, disrupted access to essential services like education and healthcare, heightened risk of women and girls facing sexual exploitation, early marriage, intimate partner violence and displacement. We have seen young girls during this period being forced to get married so that maybe their family can get some 'bride price,' or because they do not want the young girls to be a burden as they flee the conflict areas.' 'There is also disruption in education and healthcare services. When roads are broken, girls and women are not able to cross over the river banks, which disrupts their education and affects access to healthcare. Women who need antenatal care (medical and supportive care a woman receives during her pregnancy), or contraceptives and family planning, people living HIV who need their routine medicine refills- they are not able to access them because of either conflict or the flood crisis. Large scale displacement, food insecurity, and breakdown of social structures – all of these expose women to increased sexual exploitation.' Constitutional promises vs regressive GCD in Kenya Nelly comes down heavily (and rightly so) on Kenya hosting the 2nd Pan-African Conference on Family Values- an event which is being opposed by those who support bodily autonomy, gender equality and human rights and believe in gender diversity where no one is left behind. 'Kenya has not only signed the contentious and regressive 'Geneva Consensus Declaration (GCD)' but it will also be hosting the so-called family values conference in May 2025. This is very problematic because it creates an environment for the anti-rights movement to penetrate deeper into policy spaces of Kenya. We continue as a movement to call out and speak against this regressive group of individuals who purport to be ensuring that they are restoring African values, but what they are trying to preach is not African- for example, when they talk about killing of the LGBTQI+ community and when they spread hatred then these are neither African or human values. Kenya's constitution is very clear in terms of providing services to all, including reproductive health services, but most importantly protecting life. So keeping in mind the disinformation peddled by the anti-rights groups, we should focus on ensuring that we implement the constitution. We must hold the government accountable and also support the government so that when opposition strikes they can deal with the anti-rights groups, so that everyone enjoys their rights not only in Kenya but Africa as a whole,' she says. The recent report of the Lancet Commission on Gender and Global Health, while emphasising the critical link between gender justice and global health equity, also acknowledges the rise of anti-gender ideologies and the need to counter their harmful effects on global health and gender equality. It says- 'We are in 'the fight of our lives' against the anti-gender rhetoric and a rollback of gender rights. Now is a crucial moment in time to turn the tide on the rise of anti-gender rhetoric and to increase understanding of the importance of gender in public health.' Let us work together for a feminist and gender-just inclusive world order where everyone has equal rights, equal dignity and equal access and control of resources, irrespective of their caste, creed or gender identity. Gender inequality and toxic masculinity must end with us. Shobha Shukla – CNS (Citizen News Service) (Shobha Shukla is the award-winning founding Managing Editor and Executive Director of CNS (Citizen News Service) and is a feminist, health and development justice advocate. She is a former senior Physics faculty of prestigious Loreto Convent College and current Coordinator of Asia Pacific Regional Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media) and Chairperson of Global AMR Media Alliance (GAMA received AMR One Health Emerging Leaders and Outstanding Talents Award 2024). She also coordinates SHE & Rights initiative (Sexual health with equity & rights). Follow her on Twitter @shobha1shukla or read her writings here )
