JUBA – The United Nations has warned of a “perfect storm” of escalating conflict and climate-driven disasters in South Sudan, as renewed fighting in Jonglei State has forced nearly 280,000 people to flee their homes.
UN Humanitarian Chief Tom Fletcher, concluding a five-day mission to the country, said the crisis is being dangerously overlooked by the international community.
Clashes between the national army (SSPDF) and the rival SPLA-iO have intensified since late December, compounded by the destruction of water sources and the spread of cholera.
“People here feel that no one is listening,” Fletcher said. “You have this intersection of climate change, conflict, and extreme poverty creating a cycle of deprivation that is becoming impossible to break without massive intervention.”
The UN Human Rights office also reported gruesome violations, including the killing of over 160 civilians in the north of the country since March 1.
As the African Union sends a technical team to Juba this week to help strengthen education data systems, the immediate priority for aid agencies remains the delivery of food and medicine to families currently sheltering in the open across the Sudd wetlands.
