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The Country Director of the Community Agency for Resilience and Equality (CARE South Sudan) has urged all parties to the conflict in Jonglei State to prioritize the protection of civilians.
Renewed clashes between government forces and opposition groups since late December 2025 in Nyirol, Uror, Ayod, and Duk counties have displaced more than 230,000 people.
James Akai, CARE South Sudan Country Director, said the protection of civilians must be an urgent priority for all parties involved in the conflict.
“Humanitarian access is a matter of survival, not politics. All
parties to the conflict must protect civilians and ensure safe, timely, and
unhindered access for humanitarian actors. Without access, hunger will deepen,
preventable diseases will spread, and lives will be lost,” Akai stated in a statement
seen by The Radio Community (TRC).
“Conflict is not only displacing families but also
destroying livelihoods and accelerating hunger in a state that was already on
the brink.”
Health and nutrition services have been disrupted by looting
and damage, leaving children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and chronically
ill people without lifesaving care.
Market closures and lost livelihoods are deepening hardship,
while overcrowded displacement sites and weakened protection systems heighten
risks of gender-based violence and exploitation.
Jonglei State is currently classified under IPC Phase 4
(Emergency) in the latest food security projections, with three counties facing
IPC Phase 5 (Extremely Critical) levels of acute malnutrition.
Aid organizations warn that continued insecurity and
restrictions on movement are hindering consistent delivery of assistance,
including medical evacuations and protection services.
CARE is responding in Akobo and Bor South counties, where
significant numbers of displaced people have sought refuge, providing food,
nutrition, health, water, sanitation, and protection support where access
allows.