Thousands have fled the South Sudanese town of Akobo and surrounding areas in Jonglei state amid intensified clashes between government forces and the SPLA-IO, aligned with former Vice President Riek Machar.
Mother-of-five Nyawan Koang, 30, escaped Ayod with her five children after an air strike killed both her parents. "Fire came from the sky and burned them," she recalled.
The conflict, reignited in early 2024, has led to over 189 civilian deaths reported in January alone, according to UN rights chief Volker Türk. Entire villages have been torched, and hundreds of civilians-including women and elders-executed in Ayod by government troops.
Despite claims of military discipline, government forces and SPLA-IO fighters, backed by the White Army, continue to attack civilian populations. More than 280,000 people are now displaced, many sheltering in Duk where aid groups struggle to deliver food and medicine.
Jonglei state faces extreme hunger, with 60% of its two million people facing food insecurity. The World Food Programme says access is hampered by only 400km of paved roads and eight-month-long rainy seasons that block land routes.
Humanitarian operations remain fragile. After a recent army order, aid agencies and 50,000 civilians were forced to leave Akobo ahead of a new offensive.
The 2018 peace deal remains unimplemented. With President Salva Kiir’s purge of Machar and top officials, observers warn the country could plunge into full civil war again.
"South Sudanese people are exhausted. They want peace," said WFP acting director Adham Affandy.
