South Sudan — humanitarian situation

South Sudan faces compounding humanitarian pressures driven by sustained conflict, disease outbreaks, and impending climate-related flooding. Between January and June 2026, conflict and localized violence displaced more than 428,000 people, with Jonglei State accounting for 60 percent of these movements UNICEF. Violence in Upper Nile and Jonglei has escalated, forcing residents to travel greater distances for healthcare along the Sobat River Corridor, where approximately 50,000 displaced South Sudanese have relocated MSF. The security environment remains volatile, as demonstrated by a 24 August ambush on a UNMISS patrol in Jonglei that killed two peacekeepers and injured seven others UNMISS. Regional modeling warns that El Niño conditions could trigger severe flooding during the October rainy season, potentially displacing up to three million people across East Africa by year-end DRC. Health emergencies continue to strain response capacity nationwide. The cholera outbreak has resulted in 110,574 cumulative cases with 1,721 deaths as of 5 August, yielding a case fatality rate of 1.6 percent (Health Cluster, WHO). Though transmission declined 72 percent week-on-week in late July, partial resurgence emerged in Rubkona, Mayom, Guit, Leer, and Renk in early August. An oral cholera vaccine mop-up campaign achieved 93 percent coverage in Leer and 88 percent in Mayom, but only 55 percent in Rubkona where operations continued into August. Four active measles outbreaks affect Magwi, Wau, Aweil East/Centre, and Pariang WHO. Preparedness efforts for Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease intensified following the outbreak in neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has reported 5,001 confirmed cases and 2,378 deaths IOM, WHO. The displacement crisis has heightened protection risks, particularly for children and women, though family tracing efforts enabled 491 unaccompanied and separated children to reunite with families during the first half of 2026, a substantial increase over 2025 UNICEF. Humanitarian access remains severely constrained across the country, with limited road infrastructure and insecurity necessitating reliance on air transport. In July, UNHAS operated 962 flights transporting over 4,100 passengers to 45 destinations for 158 humanitarian organizations WFP. Health sector readiness remains incomplete, with only 13 of 15 county surveillance officers and 253 of 1,505 Basic Health Workers operationalized WHO.