Meet the Moment: South Sudan at a Breaking Point

Meet the Moment: South Sudan at a Breaking Point

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Escalating violence and volatility in South Sudan are increasing the risk of large-scale conflict and mass atrocities, while deepening an already grim humanitarian crisis, with over half of the country’s population projected to face acute food shortages from April to June 2026. Armed clashes, increasing intercommunal violence, and attacks on civilians have displaced hundreds of thousands, while shrinking humanitarian access has left millions without lifesaving aid, food sources, and healthcare. Massive flooding in 2025 has led to forced displacement, food security issues, and increased retaliatory intercommunal conflicts related to pastoral livelihoods. Like so many other regions in crisis, women and girls are bearing the brunt of this crisis, facing elevated risks of conflict-related sexual violence, forced displacement, and severe food insecurity, while the international aid system has withdrawn from the country. Reports of conflict-related sexual violence already increased in 2025 by 147 percent compared with the same period in 2024. Military rhetoric and activities in opposition-controlled areas are particularly alarming.

These intersecting crises are unfolding against the backdrop of intensifying political tensions ahead of South Sudan’s elections later this year. The escalation of violence and political tensions jeopardizes South Sudan’s peace process and political transition. The delays in implementing the peace agreement, increasing repression, and internal power struggles are fueling fears that the electoral process could further destabilize the country. Economic hardship and financial instability, along with the potential of spillover from the neighboring civil war in Sudan, are creating an extremely high-risk environment for the nation’s civilians, particularly women and girls. 

To meet the moment, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and The African Studies Program will convene a timely virtual discussion with women human rights defenders to examine escalating atrocity risks, the humanitarian situation on the ground, and the gendered impact of violence and political instability in South Sudan, one of the countries to watch in the 2026 Conflicts and Trends to Watch Report. The conversation will explore what these concerning threads mean for South Sudan’s future, and what urgent actions are needed to protect civilians, particularly women and girls, and prevent the complete outbreak of war.

Featuring

Adut Christina Salva
Executive Director, South Sudan Women’s Empowerment Network -SSWEN

Nyagoah Pur
South Sudan Researcher, Human Rights Watch

Jackline Nasiwa
Founder and Executive Director, Centre for Inclusive Governance, Peace and Justice (CIGPJ)

Kimberly Hart
Director of Policy and Programs, The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security