Conflict incresing displacement in South Sudan

News Hour:


Fighting between armed groups in South Sudan continues to increase displacement, including in areas that had been relatively stable since the crisis starts.

Current population movements are fluid in several areas, including Central Equatoria, Eastern Equatoria, Jonglei, Unity, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Western Equatoria and Unity. In the past two months, over 80,000 people have been displaced in Wau and 12,000 in Juba alone.

In southern parts of Central Equatoria, which had previously remained fairly stable, an escalating number of security incidents has pushed large numbers of civilians to leave their homes to seek safety.

“At the same time as we see the needs continue to grow, access constraints are making it more difficult for humanitarians to access vulnerable people or even measure the scale of displacement and unfolding needs as violence spreads to new locations,” said John McCue, IOM South Sudan Head of Operations.

The movements have been particularly significant from Yei, with multiple reports of targeted violence and harassment against civilians and disruptions in the delivery of aid supplies.

More than 1.6 million people are internally displaced across South Sudan, in addition to 786,000 people who have fled to neighbouring countries since December 2013. More than half of the country (6.1 million people) are in need of relief aid.

Mridha Shihab Mahmud is a writer, content editor and photojournalist. He works as a staff reporter at News Hour. He is also involved in humanitarian works through a trust called Safety Assistance For Emergencies (SAFE). Mridha also works as film director. His passion is photography. He is the chief respondent person in Mymensingh Film & Photography Society. Besides professional attachment, he loves graphics designing, painting, digital art and social networking.
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