Aid agencies in South Sudan said restricted access to Jonglei has left civilians with fewer routes to medical care and food assistance as fighting between government forces and opposition fighters spreads across the eastern state. They described service disruptions tied to violence in and around key areas, and the United Nations raised concern over a rise in displacement linked to the renewed clashes.
The International Rescue Committee said the situation has intensified enough to halt parts of its operations in the conflict-hit region. Richard Orengo, the group’s country director for South Sudan, told The Associated Press that “intensified fighting and the militarization of key areas have forced the suspension of services.”
Doctors Without Borders, known as Médecins Sans Frontières or MSF, said the government suspended all humanitarian flights into the area. MSF said the suspension has cut off medical supplies, staff movement and emergency evacuations, adding that at least 23 critically ill patients—including children and pregnant women—urgently need evacuation.
The World Food Programme said escalating violence threatens to interrupt food assistance to hundreds of thousands of people in Jonglei. It warned that nearly 60% of the state’s population is expected to face crisis-level hunger during the upcoming rainy season, when rains typically cut off access roads; the violence and its disruption of earlier aid delivery, the agency said, have prevented timely preparation and distribution.
Aid groups and the United Nations said civilians are bearing the brunt of the renewed fighting. They said homes have been destroyed, civilians have been killed in crossfire, and families have been repeatedly forced to flee as government forces and opposition fighters loyal to SPLA-IO, associated with opposition leader Riek Machar, have clashed in the state.
The United Nations and human rights groups also warned about inflammatory language from a senior army commander. The U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan said it expressed “grave alarm” at developments it said “significantly heighten the risk of mass violence against civilians,” while the opposition described the commander’s remarks as an “early indicator of genocidal intent.”
In comments to The Associated Press, government spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny called the criticism “uncalled for” and said it was “a slip of the tongue.” The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres urged all parties to halt the fighting, protect civilians and ensure safe humanitarian access, saying South Sudan’s crisis requires a political solution rather than a military one.
The renewed clashes have also put pressure on South Sudan’s fragile 2018 peace agreement, according to the United Nations and aid groups. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the fighting has displaced more than 230,000 people since December, and officials said the conflict is intensifying political tensions ahead of South Sudan’s first general election scheduled for December.