South Sudan: Conflict in Jonglei State - Flash Update No. 4 (as of 3 February 2026)

This update is produced by OCHA South Sudan in collaboration with humanitarian partners on a weekly basis.

HIGHLIGHTS

• As of 3 February, around 280,000 people have been displaced as a result of the Jonglei conflict following renewed fighting and airstrikes since 29 December 2025, according to the RRC.
• According to a Famine Early Warning Systems Network report released on 2 February, the escalating conflict particularly in northern Jonglei and Upper Nile states is expected to significantly worsen food insecurity.
• During the Acting Humanitarian Coordinator’s mission to Bor, Jonglei State, from 27–30 January, the team advocated for improved humanitarian access and identified the need for strengthened coordination.
• On 2 February, humanitarian partners delivered 2.5 metric tons of critical health and nutrition supplies to Akobo including 0.74 metric tons of medicines and 1.8 metric tons of nutrition supplies after the Government authorized a one‑day window to relocate staff and pre‑position light relief items.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

As of 3 February, conflict has escalated significantly across South Sudan following renewed fighting since late December 2025. In Jonglei State, clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the South Sudan People’s Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLM-iO) continue across Uror, Nyirol, Akobo, Duk, Ayod, and Canal/Pigi counties, resulting in daily civilian casualties and new waves of displacement. On 30 January and 2 February, fighting erupted in several locations in Uror County, including Yuai, Pathai, Pulchuol, and Motot. On 2 February, airstrikes were reported in Walgak, Akobo County. While information on casualties and damage remains limited, civilians have fled the town, and the situation remains highly volatile. Displaced populations face an ongoing risk of repeated violence and secondary displacement, further exacerbating vulnerabilities. Due to security concerns, humanitarian partners operating in Walgak and surrounding areas have suspended activities.

Thousands of newly displaced people are arriving in locations with minimal access to basic services, including severely limited water, sanitation, and health facilities, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks. Since 1 January, an estimated 479 cholera cases have been reported nationwide, including 125 cases in Jonglei State, with the majority reported in Duk County as of 2 February. The increase has been linked to the influx of internally displaced people (IDPs). Cholera treatment centers are reportedly overwhelmed and critically short of supplies, and an emergency response is currently underway in Jonglei. Since the cholera outbreak began on 28 September 2024, South Sudan has recorded 97,801 cases and 1,608 deaths across 55 counties in nine states.

HUMANITARIAN IMPACT AND NEEDS

To date, an overall 280,000 are displaced as a result of the Jonglei conflict with more than 235,000 people displaced across Jonglei State following renewed fighting and airstrikes since 29 December 2025, according to the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC). Insecurity and access constraints have prevented comprehensive needs assessments in most displacement locations. Reported displacement includes 105,400 people in Uror, 57,200 in Nyirol, 27,000 in Duk, 17,000 in Ayod, 11,800 in Akobo, 8,000 in Twic East, 4,068 in Canal/Pigi, and 4,300 in Bor South counties, placing severe strain on host communities and already overstretched basic services. Urgent, unhindered access is required to reach people sheltering in the open with minimal assistance.

In Lakes State, 29,500 conflict-affected IDPs were assessed in Mingkaman, Awerial County, as of 2 February. An Emergency Rapid Response Mechanism (ERRM) team has been deployed to scale up immediate assistance. In Upper Nile State and northern Jonglei, an estimated 18,000 people arrived in Ulang County and Canal/Pigi County as of 26 January, according to an inter-agency team and local authorities, after fleeing violence and fear of attack in Nyirol County.

In Central Equatoria State, an estimated 6,000 new arrivals, mainly women and children from Jonglei, have been registered in Mangala Payam. They are sheltering alongside an estimated 35,000 people previously displaced by flooding. A multi-sectoral needs assessment is under consideration to inform response planning.

Ongoing flight, road, and river access constraints continue to impede medical evacuations and disrupt the delivery of life-saving assistance. Humanitarian operations remain under serious threat, with at least seven humanitarian facilities looted or damaged in Jonglei to date. Assets have been confiscated and aid workers intimidated, significantly undermining humanitarian response capacity and having an intolerable impact on people in urgent need.

On 30 January, armed men forcibly entered an international NGO compound in Walgak, Akobo County, seizing three clearly marked NGO vehicles, a tractor, and other office equipment. No staff were harmed. The loss of these assets has severely constrained the NGO’s ability to deliver life-saving assistance, leading to the temporary suspension of activities in Akobo County on 31 January, pending assurances that humanitarian personnel, assets, and operations will be respected. Earlier this year, three vehicles belonging to the same organization were temporarily taken and later returned following engagement with relevant actors; however, two additional vehicles seized more recently remain unrecovered.

According to a Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) report released on 2 February, escalating conflict particularly in northern Jonglei and Upper Nile states is expected to significantly worsen food insecurity. Between February and May, the number of counties classified in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) is projected to more than double. Areas of highest concern include southern Upper Nile (Nasir, Ulang, Longochuk, and Panyikang), north-central Jonglei (Fangak, Canal/Pigi, Nyirol, Uror, Duk, Ayod, and Akobo), and central Unity (Panyijiar and Leer). FEWS NET warns that some households, particularly those in inaccessible areas and newly displaced populations, are likely to deteriorate to Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) by May.

On 30 January, WFP warned that escalating violence risks cutting off food assistance to hundreds of thousands of people, as nearly 60 per cent of Jonglei’s population is projected to face crisis-level hunger during the upcoming rainy season. Seasonal rains typically render access roads impassable, while ongoing insecurity has already disrupted early pre-positioning of aid.

Also on 30 January, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) issued a press statement denouncing Government-imposed access restrictions in parts of opposition-held areas of Jonglei State. MSF reported that these restrictions are limiting the delivery of essential medical services, placing children, pregnant women, and people with chronic or life-threatening conditions at heightened risk.

HUMANITARIAN RESPONSE AND CHALLENGES

During the Acting Humanitarian Coordinator’s mission to Bor, Jonglei State (27–30 January), the team identified several priority actions including: high-level access negotiations in Juba, development of a combined conflict–cholera contingency plan for Jonglei and scaling up surge capacity and pre-positioning of supplies ahead of the rainy season. The team also underscored the need to carefully sequence needs assessments to avoid raising expectations that cannot be met. Immediate priorities for the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) include securing national-level access guarantees (air, river, and road) for key Jonglei corridors leveraging the cholera response as an entry point while advancing a Preparedness and Response Plan for northern and central Jonglei that integrates conflict dynamics and cholera risks. Additional priorities include pre-positioning critical supplies, safeguarding humanitarian infrastructure such as the Bor River dock, and deterring looting through engagement with UNMISS

On 3 February, OCHA deployed a senior staff member to Bor Town to support coordination, planning, and response efforts for populations affected by the conflict. An inter-agency rapid needs assessment conducted on 22 January confirmed the displacement of an estimated 6,348 people, mostly children, from conflict-affected areas of central and northern Jonglei to at least five sites in Bor Town. The assessment identified critical gaps in health, WASH, nutrition, education, food, NFIs, and protection services. Additional concerns included psychosocial distress, stigma linked to displacement, animal health issues, and suspected watery diarrhea outbreaks driven by overcrowding and poor living conditions.

Following information received from the Government’s Joint Verification and Monitoring Mechanism (JVMM), UNHAS facilitated a one-day humanitarian flight to Akobo on 2 February, after the Government authorized a limited access window to relocate staff and pre-position light relief supplies. The flight enabled partners to deliver 2.5 metric tons of critical health and nutrition supplies, including 0.74 metric tons of medicines and 1.8 metric tons of nutrition commodities. A further flight is planned for 5 February.

In Duk County, MSF has established a 30-bed cholera treatment centre and three oral rehydration points in Padiet Payam to respond to rising cases among displaced populations. Additional capacity includes five beds and a rehydration point at Amiel Stabilization Centre, and 20 beds with three rehydration points in Poktab. MSF also received alerts from Ayod County and plans to deploy an emergency team and medical supplies from 3 February. A cholera vaccination campaign is planned in northern and central Jonglei, using existing rehydration points and mobile teams, subject to security and access conditions. On 1 February, the Ministry of Health, with support from WHO and partners, deployed additional health workers and reinforced medical supplies to Duk facilities to manage the surge in cases.

FUNDING

The Emergency Relief Coordinator has allocated US$10 million from the CERF Rapid Response window to provide multi‑sectoral humanitarian assistance to 177,647 displaced people in six priority counties: Nyirol, Uror, Akobo and Duk in Jonglei State; Ulang in Upper Nile State; and Awerial in Lakes State. The allocation will support life‑saving Health (including Sexual and Reproductive Health), Nutrition, WASH, Protection, and Food Security and Livelihoods interventions. IOM, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO and WFP have been selected to implement the response activities.

A $2 million South Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SSHF) reserve allocation has been launched. The allocation will complement the US$10 million CERF funding to further scale up the response in areas of greatest need. SSHF resources will target severely affected and underserved locations, reinforce life‑saving interventions and address critical access gaps.