South Sudan: UNICEF reaches communities cut off by conflict in Jonglei state
Emergency Aid Reaches Isolated Families in South Sudan’s Jonglei State
Qinilo.com – Families in remote, conflict-affected areas of South Sudan’s Jonglei state have received urgently needed food, health and water supplies after months with little or no humanitarian assistance. The support reached communities in Akobo and Nyirol counties, where renewed fighting has displaced people, disrupted basic services and made travel increasingly dangerous.
Jonglei is one of several states experiencing a resurgence of armed clashes involving Government and opposition forces. Since January, the growing insecurity has closed health facilities, restricted humanitarian movements and weakened access to safe water, nutrition programmes, protection services and medical care.
“Access challenges in Jonglei state have left the lives of mothers and their children hanging in the balance,” said Noala Skinner, UNICEF South Sudan Country Representative.
Rapid response supplies delivered to hard-to-reach areas
UNICEF and its partners used the Rapid Response Mechanism, known as the RRM, to bring more than eight tonnes of essential materials to isolated populations in Wiechjol, a town in Akobo County, and Waat in Nyirol County. The mechanism is designed to move multidisciplinary assistance quickly when communities are cut off by violence, displacement or damaged infrastructure.
The shipment included therapeutic food for children affected by acute malnutrition, medical supplies, household water-treatment products and hygiene kits. Such items are particularly important where routine services have been interrupted and families may have limited options for treating illness or obtaining safe drinking water.
Nutrition teams examined 1,666 children under the age of five for signs of acute malnutrition. Of those screened, 146 children were enrolled in lifesaving treatment, while 602 children identified with moderate acute malnutrition were referred for continued care and follow-up. Teams also provided nutrition counselling to 331 caregivers, focusing on ways to improve feeding and nutrition for infants and young children.
The findings underline the scale of the emergency in northern Jonglei. Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions, or SMART, surveys have shown that global acute malnutrition in Akobo West is above 40 per cent. That level is among the highest recorded anywhere in South Sudan and signals severe risks for young children without sustained treatment and food support.
“The RRM missions are important, but operating conditions in northern Jonglei remain challenging,” Ms. Skinner said.
Health, clean water and hygiene support
Medical teams provided primary healthcare services to 1,241 people during the response, including 250 children under five. Patients were treated for illnesses commonly associated with disrupted services and poor living conditions, including malaria, acute respiratory tract infections, acute watery diarrhoea and skin diseases.
Water, sanitation and hygiene activities reached 1,200 families with filters and water-purification supplies. Another 200 women and girls received dignity and hygiene kits. More than 2,000 people also took part in hygiene-promotion and disease-prevention messaging, helping families understand how to reduce risks when clean water and health services are scarce.
Jonglei’s humanitarian needs are shaped by overlapping pressures. Damage to water systems, inadequate sanitation and limited healthcare access can contribute to preventable childhood illness. When conflict forces people to move or isolates communities from assistance, these existing vulnerabilities can worsen quickly.
Displacement and insecurity also create serious protection concerns. UNICEF warned that ongoing violence can increase the likelihood of family separation, gender-based violence and the recruitment of children by armed groups. Women, girls and children may face heightened risks when they must travel farther for water, food, shelter or medical care.
Need for sustained access and protection
For many people reached during the missions, the deliveries represented the first outside assistance they had received in months. The operation demonstrated that support can reach remote areas, but it also highlighted the limits of short emergency deployments when conflict continues to restrict safe access.
“For many families, this was the first help they had seen in months. But what we found shows how much more is needed, and how quickly conditions can deteriorate if access continues to be constrained in these areas,” Ms. Skinner stressed.
Humanitarian agencies are calling for safe, reliable and sustained access to communities affected by the fighting. Predictable access would allow responders to continue nutritional screening, replenish medical supplies, support health facilities and provide clean water before conditions become even more severe.
There is also a need to end grave violations against children, including recruitment by armed groups, while increasing protection services for women and children. Preventing gender-based violence, child abductions and other threats requires support that can continue beyond a single emergency mission.
Continued funding and flexible partnerships remain essential for keeping rapid-response teams ready, positioning supplies in advance and avoiding interruptions in therapeutic food, medicines and clean water. In places where violence can suddenly cut off roads and services, the ability to deploy assistance quickly can make a critical difference for families already living under extreme pressure.
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