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South Sudan

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22h ago

South Sudan dissolves government ahead of first-ever national elections

President Salva Kiir's move clears hurdles to long delayed election and raises concern he can now wield unchecked power.

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Dangote's Kenya Refinery Project Launches This Week at Up to $20B

Kenya breaks ground September 30 on the Dangote-backed East Africa Oil Refinery in Lamu, a project priced at $17 billion by Kenyan officials and $20 billion by Aliko Dangote himself, and designed to process 700,000 barrels of crude oil a day at Lamu's deep-water port. It would serve Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Disclosed financing for the project totals $1.6 billion against a price tag of $17 billion to $20 billion. Tanzanian billionaire Mohammed Dewji has committed $100 million to the project.…

OilPrice.comOilPrice.com•Charles Kennedy8h ago

World: Mr. Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator – Remarks on the Humanitarian Diplomacy that Safeguards International Humanitarian Law, 21 September 2026

Countries: World, occupied Palestinian territory, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. New York, 21 September 2026 As delivered Thank you very much, indeed, and thank you to our hosts once again. And here we are once again in a basement, agreeing with each other. And I fear we are howling sometimes into the void. I don't know how much these voices, disagreement we have, are being heard out there. And we need to make our opponents a bit more frightened, because we can convince each other right now, but I'm not sure we're convincing the people who are breaking international humanitarian law. So, unless we start to make them feel more fear of what we can do to them, then they will carry on killing my colleagues in their hundreds. And we'll be back here next year with a slightly higher number than the ones I'm about to give you now and wondering why we're not making more progress. Because I agree with every single word that Mirjana [Spoljaric Egger, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross] said, and so I don't need to repeat them right now. Every single word that others have said. IHL [International Humanitarian Law] was invented after or developed after the Second World War because we'd seen the absence of it. It's the scaffolding we need to protect our world. And like the UN, it's not always perfect. And like the UN, it depends on the Member States for whether or not it can be effective. It depends on you all to back it up. And you know the numbers. A 1,000 of our colleagues are dead. I call the families. We call the families. Carl [Skau, Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Programme] has been in Yemen recently trying to get, you know, some of our 73 detainees out of Yemen now. And how many more will we lose this year? So, we are losing control. Dr. [Abdullah bin Abdulaziz] Al Rabeeah [Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre] is right. As humans, right now, we are losing control of the climate. We are losing control of AI. And the algorithm is not going to be humanitarian at this rate by the way. It will be less humanitarian than we are, and that's saying something. We are losing control of the weapon systems. I was just in Kherson, and I handled one of these $300 drones that is killing our people, and killing humanitarians, and killing civilians. And something chilling people told me there: the AI-operated drones, as they get closer to the end of their battery life, they are more likely to kill us. Because they are trained to target. They are given an objective. And as the battery runs out, the pressure on them to complete their mission, and kill one of us or kill a civilian increases. So, civilians know that as they get towards the end of their battery life, that is the time that you have to shelter from those AI-operated weapons. The places we work are an atrocities lab, right now, for the weapons coming towards everyone. And the global economy – we are losing control of that too – is on a war footing. All we're asking for is 1 per cent of what you're all spending on guns and defense and security right now, for us to save 87 million lives. And wouldn't that be an amazing thing if we could do it. For the people we serve, the places we work as humanitarians, people ask: "What's a world like without IHL?” We've already got it, folks. Ask the people in those areas who are off the map right now in Yemen, in Sudan, in Somalia, in South Sudan and in Gaza. That's a world already without IHL. So, please, please push for this accountability – not just for the people firing the weapon at us, but the people providing it. And the people designing it, by the way. And the people selling it, many of whom come from countries represented in this room. Make the trade-offs when you are in that difficult meeting with the person from a country who is killing us, make that trade-off. Don't talk about it in your memoir in four years' time about the thing you wished you'd said. We don't get another go at this, those of us who are only doing this for a few years. So please make those trade-offs. And for this week, to the practical point, we have 10 humanitarian diplomacy asks. If I haven't ambushed you yet with these [handouts on 10 access asks to reach 11 million people], I'm coming your way. If we get these 10 things done – they're all simple, straightforward, they're like the things that Hadja [Lahbib, European Union Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management] described – that you could all deliver in this room. We'll reach 11 million people with life-saving support this year. So, I'm coming for all of you with my cards. I'll close and hand to Carl. The reality is: I can promise you that the humanitarians, who have such courage, will continue going out towards the sound of gunfire to try to stop it and try to help the survivors, whether we give them the support and protection that they deserve or not. But we owe it to them to do better. We owe it to them to try to ensure we don't need to have this meeting next year. Let's make that an objective. What will each of us do? What's the one thing each of us will do differently this year so that we don't regret it later. And let's just make sure we do a better job of holding the line. Thank you.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs22 Sept

South Sudan: PAH Rapid Assessment report in AKOBO, NASIR, and CANAL/PIGI (July 2026)

Country: South Sudan Source: Polish Humanitarian Action - Polska Akcja Humanitarna Please refer to the attached file. Executive Summary Priority geographical areas. The assessed Payams acrossall three counties show severe humanitarian needs with slightly different profiles. Akobo is characterized by the mass return into destroyed and looted homes and services, among the most access- constrained of the three counties. Communities in Luakpiny/Nasir suffer from a protracted conflict and risk of famine under plausible worst-case conditions flagged in two consecutive IPC analyses. In Canal/Pigi, displacement influx pressure is compounded by flooding, with severe WASH conditions associated with heightened waterborne disease/outbreak risk and the difficult shelter situation. Priority affected groups. Returnees and internally displaced persons (IDP), in community buildings, self-settled sites and organised camps, are consistently ranked most affected, alongside residents hosting displaced households. Moreover, people with specific vulnerabilities, like persons with disabilities, pregnant and lactating women, separated and unaccompanied children, widows and female-headed households are also most severely affected by the humanitarian crisis. Priority Needs. Information on aid registration and eligibility is the leading information need in every county. Sector priorities differentiate slightly by location, but include water access and sanitation and food assistance across all the locations. Protection needs are high, and priorities include physical safety, child protection, and SGBV, with water collection points the leading protection risk in all the assessed locations. Finally, needs also include emergency shelter, repair materials and non-food items. Priority Interventions. Full recommendations per sector as well as county and population groups are set out in sections E-H of the report; the overall key priorities per sector are: WASH: rehabilitation and construction of water points, latrine reconstruction with hygiene promotion, and distribution of hygiene items including menstrual hygiene materials, with water points sited for safety, as water collection is the leading protection risk in the locations assessed. Food security and livelihoods: emergency food assistance blended with support to production (fishing and agricultural inputs), livelihood recovery including cash-for-work and skills training, and support to traders and market recovery. Protection: gender sensitive protection services and referral pathways, GBV and child protection programming with psychosocial support, protection mainstreaming across all sectors, and HLP support through traditional dispute resolution mechanisms. Shelter/NFI: emergency shelter for the newly displaced, repair materials and tools for returnees, and non-food item distributions with flood resilient designs and pre-positioning ahead of the rains. Across all three counties, a blended modality (cash combined with in-kind assistance) is recommended, with the mix calibrated per location against market functionality and revised through market monitoring.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•Polish Humanitarian Action - Polska Akcja Humanitarna22 Sept

UNICEF South Sudan Humanitarian Flash Update (Reaching Isolated Children and Families - Pading and Bouytong), August 2026

Country: South Sudan Source: UN Children's Fund Please refer to the attached file. Overview In August 2026, UNICEF and partners conducted two integrated Rapid Response Mechanisms (RRMs) to Pading Payam in Nyirol County, Jonglei State, and Buoytong/Lietganteny in Unity State, delivering life-saving humanitarian assistance to communities affected by conflict, displacement, flooding, and prolonged interruptions to basic services. The missions reached some of the most isolated and underserved populations in South Sudan, where humanitarian access had been severely constrained and essential services had largely collapsed. In both locations, children and families endured months without reliable access to health care, nutrition treatment, safe drinking water, education, and protection services. In Buoytong, communities had gone some eight months without humanitarian assistance, while in Pading, insecurity and access constraints had left populations with limited support throughout much of 2026 Through an integrated package of health, nutrition, WASH, education, child protection, gender-based violence (GBV), and social and behaviour change interventions, UNICEF and partners delivered emergency services and critical supplies to vulnerable children, women, and caregivers. The missions provided immediate relief to conflict-affected, displaced, returnee, and host community populations while generating critical information on humanitarian conditions and priority needs for future programming. Beyond addressing urgent needs, the interventions helped restore access to essential services, strengthened community resilience, and reaffirmed UNICEF's commitment to reaching children in some of the country's most challenging operational environments

ReliefWebReliefWeb•UN Children's Fund22 Sept

DTM Sudan Displacement and Return Snapshot - Update 9 (20 September 2026)

Countries: Sudan, Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan, Uganda Source: International Organization for Migration Please refer to the attached file. The Sudan Displacement and Return Snapshot includes information on internally displaced persons (IDPs) and returnees, based on data from over 13,000 locations, 185 localities, and all 18 states in Sudan. Main Findings An estimated 8,583,274 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were recorded across 185 localities in all 18 states. An estimated 5,145,165 returned individuals were recorded across 77 localities in nine states. Eighty-two per cent of returnees moved back from internal displacement, while 18 per cent returned from abroad. Approximately half of IDPs (55%) and returnees (50%) were children under 18 years old. Key Trends The number of IDPs decreased by 26 per cent compared to the highest-recorded displaced population and by approximately one per cent compared to the previous month. The number of returnees increased by four per cent compared to the previous month. For further information, see the DTM Methodological Note and the DTM Sudan Interactive Dashboard.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•International Organization for Migration22 Sept

World: Voices from the Frontlines: Messages for the Next UN Secretary General [EN/AR]

Country: World Source: Oxfam Please refer to the attached files. Overview This report, produced as part of Oxfam’s engagement for the UN General Assembly, brings together the personal testimonies of civil society leaders living and working on the frontlines of conflict. Their voices come from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, Lebanon, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Colombia, Yemen, Syria, South Sudan and Ethiopia. Through these testimonies, Oxfam’s partners call on the next UN Secretary-General to transform global peace and security systems to better protect civilians. The paper builds on Oxfam’s ongoing advocacy to reform the Peace and Security System, which began with the 2024 UNGA report Vetoing Humanity and continued through the 2025 report A (More) Feminist Approach to Principled Humanitarian Aid. Together, these reports envision a humanitarian system grounded in meaningful power sharing and the leadership of affected communities, creating a genuine and trusted local-to-global movement.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•Oxfam21 Sept

UgandaMulti-Sectoral Needs Assessment - Refugee Settlements and Host Communities, April 2026

Country: Uganda Source: Welthungerhilfe Please refer to the attached file. Uganda hosts the largest refugee population in Africa, nearly 2 million as of January 2026. People displaced continue to arrive, predominantly from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and Sudan. Alongside this, cuts in humanitarian funding have placed further strain on the limited resources available to support refugees and host communities. This Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA) across key refugee-hosting areas in Uganda, jointly undertaken by Welthungerhilfe (WHH), Ayuda en Acción, and CESVI as part of Alliance2015 network, was designed to provide a comprehensive and evidence-based understanding of multi-sectoral needs and humanitarian conditions people are experiencing. The assessment covered both selected formal refugee settlements and their surrounding host communities. This report presents the collective perspectives of refugee and host community households, community groups and leaders, settlement and district representatives, and technical officers.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•Welthungerhilfe21 Sept

Somalia: Climate Watch Advisory: The Evolving Dry Conditions in the Northern Parts of Eastern Africa - September 2026 Update

Countries: Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan Source: Intergovernmental Authority on Development Please refer to the attached file. Initial Climate Watch issued on 11 August 2026 | Climate Watch No. 20260810-01-u1 Rainfall deficits have persisted across the northern sector of the Eastern Africa region from May through August, affecting Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan. Analysis of the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) for the June-August period indicates that these dry conditions extend southwards into parts of Uganda and western Kenya.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•Intergovernmental Authority on Development21 Sept

World: Preventing the Recruitment and Use of Children: An Analysis of the Barriers to Implementing the Vancouver Principles in South Sudan and Somalia

Countries: World, Somalia, South Sudan Source: Save the Children Please refer to the attached file. Somali children dream of a better Somalia and are looking to have a Somalia that is free from conflict, where there is peace and where they will feel safe. Somali children have big dreams, with many wanting to be teachers, engineers, doctors, and much more, to contribute to their community. Unfortunately, Somalia for decades has endured cycles of conflicts, political transitions and climate shocks, and droughts and floods that have reshaped livelihoods and displaced millions. The context is fragile and sensitive, with children being born in the conflicts and transitioning into adulthood while still in conflict. Despite these challenges, the country remains committed to rebuilding and has hope for a peaceful Somalia not marred by the narratives of conflict. The co-existence of the realities of fragility and stability is reflected in many parts of Southern Somalia, where the impacts of armed conflict and economic hardship are most acutely shaping the future of entire generations. As a result of the conflict, many of the children face challenges such as separation from their families, while others find community with armed actors and, as a result, are recruited and used as children. South Sudan, on the other hand, is one of the youngest countries in East Africa. With its capital city in Juba, the country is home to many ethnic groups, languages and rich cultural traditions. Many of the children in South Sudan have great dreams. Some want to become teachers, nurses, doctors, and pilots. They enjoy spending time with their families, going to school, and having their dreams come true just like children around the world. However, unfortunately, South Sudan remains one of the world’s most fragile humanitarian contexts. Millions of children face daily threats to their survival and development: from violence, displacement and acute food insecurity to disease outbreaks and periodic flooding that repeatedly disrupts schools, health services, and livelihoods. Many children are affected by the six grave violations and, due to the prolonged conflicts, have been separated from their families and communities, making them more vulnerable to recruitment and use by armed groups. Children in both countries have not experienced any life other than one where they consistently look over their shoulders and live in fear, wondering when the conflicts will cease. The long-term effects of being in conflict environments were expressed in their storytelling and narratives as they shared their lived experiences. Save the Children is very keen on ensuring that children meaningfully participate, not only as survivors of violence but as rights-holders capable of contributing to society. Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) guarantees the participation of children. The same is also reflected in the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child (ACRWC), which provides for the right to child participation, principally, in Articles 4(2) and 7. Save the Children meaningfully engaged with the children from Somalia and South Sudan through child-friendly and appropriate discussions. The consultations were conducted on site to gather their perspectives on the recruitment and use of children. Through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and other child-friendly approaches and methods, the team was able to assess the children’s knowledge of the Vancouver Principles and grave violations as well as discuss the barriers to preventing recruitment and use of children in Somalia and South Sudan. The children shared their experiences, concerns, and recommendations. They focused on practical realities and everyday experiences of conflict and protection.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•Save the Children21 Sept

South Sudan: What has happened in Akobo County in 2026? (September 2026)

Country: South Sudan Source: REACH Initiative Please refer to the attached file. This brief outlines key events that shaped humanitarian needs in Jonglei State in 2026, with a particular focus on Akobo County. It also summarises conditions in Akobo East in August 2026. Key messages • Armed violence displaced over 100,000 people into, within and outside Akobo County between January-March 2026. By April, over 12,000 people in Akobo faced starvation and one-in-three children were acutely malnourished, according to the IPC Projection Update for April-July 2026. Under a plausible worst-case scenario involving continuous violence, an influx of returnees, seasonal flooding, and a collapse of life-saving services, the IPC warned there was “credible risk” of Famine in Akobo until July. • Available information suggest this worst-case scenario was averted. A pause in large-scale violence has largely held in Akobo – particularly Akobo East – since opposition forces retook Akobo town on April 13. While this did facilitate mass returns of exceedingly vulnerable returnees, it also enabled a significant humanitarian surge from May. The county hospital reopened, nutrition services resumed, and food assistance reached at least 8,000 households each month between June-August, according to programme data shared with REACH. • By August, interviewees said the response had helped ‘stabilize’ conditions in Akobo East. However, many described this as a fragile reprieve rather than a sustained recovery. Despite an overall decline in acute malnutrition cases in Akobo East between June-August, severe acute malnutrition remained persistently high, accounting for an average of 38% of admissions in this period. • Interviewees described a convergence of factors that were restricting households’ access to food in August. Belowaverage rainfall was draining the Pibor river – according to field observations and satellite alimetry – with interviewees reporting the availability of fish in August was a fraction of previous years. At the same time, a ban on cash transfers to Akobo was “paralysing” local markets. These factors were driving reliance on humanitarian food distributions. • The situation in Akobo East looked set to deteriorate once food distributions concluded in August. Interviewees said a prolonged dry spell between May-July would devastate the harvest – due in October. This is corrborated by CHIRPS 3 rainfall data, which show the 2026 April-July period was the second driest since 1991. By August, people in Akobo were already calling this year ruonrethea – the Nuer word for ‘rot’, used to describe a drought that results in failed harvests. The last ruonrethea was reported in 2009. • If food distributions are discontinued until 2027, the harvest performs as poorly as expected, and the availability of alternate food sources is continually restricted, households’ access to food will constract substantially beginning in September. Findings are therefore in line with FEWS NET’s conclusion in August that the risk of Famine in Akobo will persist until at least January 2027.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•REACH Initiative21 Sept
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South Sudan: Low cost technology solutions for expanding quality services into hard to reach areas: The Digital Care Companion innovation

Country: South Sudan Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees South Sudan’s health system operates in a complex and rapidly changing environment. With a predominantly rural population, high unmet health needs, and a heavy burden of diseases, service delivery is deeply constrained by shortages of skilled health workers, limited infrastructure, and medication stockouts. Climate-related shocks and displacement further stress the network. Extending quality care to individuals and households in this context requires innovation. The Digital Care Companion is designed to do this – complementing the limited infrastructure, staffing and commodities to provide standardized, comprehensive care even in the most hard to reach populations. What is The Digital Care Companion? A comprehensive decision support system designed for ensuring quality of care in any context. It guides care providers, irrespective of their capacity, through structured care based on standards, to assure similar outcomes wherever they are in the country. Its design is in response to the problem of expanding access to quality services in an equitable way. The DCC is a clinical decision support system built on “human-in-the-loop” symbolic AI architecture. Drawing from ICD-11 quality-of-care standards, the system empowers health workers to accept, modify, or override decision prompts based on clinical judgment and context. Clinicians retain complete professional autonomy, ensuring that humans remain the ultimate decision-makers within the system. Download the full report

ReliefWebReliefWeb•UN High Commissioner for Refugees21 Sept

WHO Weekly Situation Update on Ongoing Health Emergency Events in South Sudan - Week #37, Date: 07–13 Sep 2026

Countries: South Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda Source: World Health Organization Please refer to the attached file. PRIORITY ACTIONS ▸ Operationalize the Tier 1A/1B/1C area-based readiness package; close the readiness loop across all 15 counties; maintain 14/15 officer reach; monitor the 500+ DRC returnees through Nabanga PoE (Ibba) with heightened surveillance. ▸ Sustain cholera response in Rubkona, Mayom and Renk; monitor Rubkona closely (1 community death, 2-year-old) ▸ Investigate and respond to active measles outbreaks (Magwi, Wau, Aweil East/Centre, Pariang, Tonj North). ▸ Scale up malaria response ahead of peak season and complete LLIN distribution (7.5M/9.5M, 79%). ▸ Restore health services in Akobo — facilities still constrained by insecurity and supply gaps; address SAM surge (7SAM-MC this week).

ReliefWebReliefWeb•World Health Organization21 Sept

South Sudan Humanitarian Update (as of 15 September 2026)

Country: South Sudan Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. HIGHLIGHTS More than one million vulnerable people at risk of losing life-saving food and nutrition assistance. Funding shortfalls threaten life-saving assistance for refugees in South Sudan. Conflict continues driving new displacement as returnees face critical gaps in basic services, as UNICEF and partners restore life-saving assistance to conflict-isolated communities in Jonglei State. Rising humanitarian access constraints continue to disrupt delivery of life-saving assistance, as UNHAS expands air services to hard-to-reach areas. Public health emergencies continue as over 500 South Sudanese return from the Democratic Republic of Congo amid Ebola concerns.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs18 Sept

UNHCR Regional Bureau for Europe: Sudanese movement to Europe - Profiles, routes and challenges along the way (September 2026)

Countries: Sudan, Greece, Italy, Libya, Tunisia, Türkiye Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Please refer to the attached file. BACKGROUND Since April 2023, Sudan has experienced a devastating conflict marked by severe civilian harm, reports of conflict-related sexual violence, and large-scale displacement.1 As of 6 July 2026, more than 11.4 million people have been displaced, including over 6.5 million internally within Sudan and more than 4.5 million Sudanese who have fled the country. Nearly 60% of Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers are hosted in just seven neighbouring countries, with the largest populations in Chad, Egypt, Libya, and South Sudan. While the majority remain in neighbouring countries, Mediterranean Europe4 has witnessed a noticeable increase in Sudanese arrivals since the outbreak of the conflict. Journeys to Europe are often long and dangerous. Insights from focus group discussions reveal that onward movement to Europe is primarily driven by unmet protection and basic needs in first countries of asylum. UNHCR considers that persons originating from Sudan who cannot return there because of the conflict are likely to be in need of international protection. UNHCR continues to call on States to ensure access to territory and asylum for people fleeing Sudan, and to respect and uphold the principle of non-refoulement at all times. In this context, this report analyses the situation of Sudanese nationals arriving in Europe, including their profiles, routes taken to reach Europe, and risks and challenges faced along the route. The report is based on arrivals data, 173 protection monitoring interviews with Sudanese nationals in South-Eastern Europe conducted between January 2025 and July 20266, and focus group discussions with Sudanese nationals held in Greece, Italy and Spain. The findings provide insights into the experiences and perspectives of participating individuals and should not be interpreted as statistically representative of all Sudanese refugees and asylum-seekers in Europe or first countries of asylum.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•UN High Commissioner for Refugees18 Sept

South Sudan — Event Tracking Report #114 (01–31 August 2026)

Country: South Sudan Source: International Organization for Migration Please refer to the attached file. South Sudan is currently facing a severe humanitarian crisis characterised by extensive internal displacement. The underlying causes of these displacement dynamics are varied and include communal clashes, land disputes, insecurity, violence, and disasters. The situation is further complicated by the ongoing conflict in neighbouring Sudan, which has led to increased cross-border movements, and an influx of refugees and returnees, straining already limited resources.

ReliefWebReliefWeb•International Organization for Migration18 Sept