JUBA, South Sudan – More than 100 women and girls are being displaced every hour in South Sudan as fighting intensifies in eastern hotspots, UN Women reported on Monday following a high-level mission to the country.
Anna Mutavati, UN Women Regional Director, warned that nearly 224,000 women and girls have been forced to flee their homes since the start of 2026. The crisis is most acute in Jonglei State, where the looting of health facilities has left thousands of expectant mothers without medical care.
The humanitarian situation is being compounded by the ongoing war in neighboring Sudan, which has driven 2.4 million refugees and returnees into South Sudan’s already strained border regions.
Reports indicate that displaced families in the lean season are resorting to eating wild plants to survive.
As the country prepares for general elections later this year, the UN called for a “credible and transparent electoral roadmap” that ensures the 35% quota for women’s representation is upheld despite the escalating violence.
