The Plight of Displaced Women, Refugees, Returnees, and Children in South Sudan
South Sudan is facing a complex, multi-layered convergence of humanitarian, economic, political, security, health, and environmental crises. Civilians are caught in relentless cycles of violence and neglect, as the emergency intensifies with extreme levels of acute food insecurity, climate shocks, disease outbreaks, mass displacement, and cross-border pressures from the Sudan crisis. The humanitarian crisis, with over 10 million people in need, representing two-thirds of South Sudan’s population, is inseparable from the country’s unresolved political turmoil. Over 7.5 million people (53 per cent of the analysed population) are projected to face crisis or worse levels of hunger (IPC Phase 3 or above) during the 2026 lean season from April to July. Malnutrition remains critically high and continues as a persistent challenge. Some 2.1 million children aged 6–59 months are expected to suffer acute malnutrition and be in urgent need of nutrition services and treatment up to June 2026. Additionally, around 1.1 million pregnant and lactating women are at risk of malnutrition and in need of treatment during the same period, a 4 per cent increase from the previous year. Nearly 60 per cent – 223,641 – of those displaced in South Sudan since the start of the year (2026) are women and girls, an average of 104 every hour, as fighting intensifies, and an estimated 375,825 people are forced to flee their homes.
The Sudan Spillover: Since April 2023, more than 1.3 million people (refugees and returnees) have entered South Sudan from Sudan, including returning South Sudanese and Sudanese refugees. Over 911,000 are estimated to be returnees.
Internal Displacement & Conflict: Over 1.9 million people are internally displaced (IDPs) within South Sudan as of early 2026, often driven by intercommunal violence and renewed clashes in Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile states.
Worsening Food Insecurity: Over 7.8 million people (over half the population) are projected to face crisis-level hunger or worse between April and July 2026, with women and children the most affected. Returnees’ Challenges: Many returnees flee the Sudan conflict in extreme distress, often facing secondary displacement within South Sudan because they cannot return to their original, flooded, or contested homelands.
Extensive GBV & Protection Risks: Women are primary targets for sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), including rape, abduction, and sexual exploitation, especially in crowded transit centers like Renk.
Survival Coping Mechanisms: Many women are forced to adopt dangerous coping strategies, such as walking long distances to collect firewood or water, exposing them to attack, or eating wild plants to survive.
Health Crisis: The destruction of health facilities and the collapse of services, combined with high rates of malnutrition, have severely impacted maternal health.
Increased Caregiving Burden: Female-headed households are especially vulnerable, managing family survival with limited access to humanitarian assistance, livelihood opportunities, or education for their children.
Sources: