Humanitarian crisis deepens as South Sudan violence surges

Humanitarian operations have been impeded by attacks, looting and restrictions on movement.Published On 10 Feb 2026Ajok Ding Duot crouches on the dusty floor of a displacement camp in South Sudan’s Lakes State, cracking nuts open one by one.She and her family of 10 arrived here about two weeks ago, fleeing intensifying fighting between government and opposition forces in neighbouring Jonglei state.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3WFP warns of deepening hunger crisis amid funding shortfalllist 2 of 3South Sudan army to secure critical Heglig oilfield in Sudan war spilloverlist 3 of 3Fears of conflict as South Sudan starts offensive against opposition forcesend of listWhile they have found temporary shelter, Duot said there was hardly anything to eat at the camp. To survive, they rely on these nuts and wild fruits.“We don’t know anything about what the government is doing. They’re fighting, but we don’t know what the problem is,” she told Al Jazeera.“We’re in darkness. It’s only ever the humanitarian organisations who help.”South Sudan has seen renewed fighting in recent weeks between government soldiers and fighters loyal to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-in-Opposition (SPLA-IO).The United Nations says an estimated 280,000 people have been displaced by the fighting and air attacks since late December, including more than 235,000 across Jonglei alone.The UN’s children agency UNICEF also warned last week that more than 450,000 children are at risk of acute malnutrition due to mass displacement and the halting of critical medical services in Jonglei.Nearly 10 million people need life-saving humanitarian assistance across South Sudan, a country still reeling from a ruinous civil war that killed nearly 400,000 people and displaced millions between 2013 and 2018.Humanitarian operations, however, have been crippled by attacks and looting, with observers saying both sides in the conflict have prevented assistance from reaching areas where they believe civilians support their opponents.