In 2025, South Sudan continued to face multiple, overlapping shocks and trends that worsened the humanitarian situation and increased the needs of vulnerable communities.
South Sudan, as one of the seven East African countries in the African meningitis belt, continues to experience recurrent meningococcal meningitis outbreaks, with the most recent incident caused by serogroup X (NmX) in 2023.
Renewed hostilities between armed actors have intensified across northern and central South Sudan since late December 2025. Sustained fighting and aerial bombardment in parts of Jonglei State have triggered a sharp deterioration in security conditions, large-scale displacement, and widespread civilian flight.
Médecins Sans Frontières’ (MSF’s) hospital in Lankien, Jonglei state, South Sudan, was hit in an airstrike by the government of South Sudan forces during the night of Tuesday, 3 February 2026.
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.
WHO South Sudan's "Voices from the Field" series highlights field-based efforts to combat health crises, including cholera, measles, and polio, through vaccinations, mobile teams, and community engagement.
At the crossroads of Africa and Europe, Tunisia is exposed to complex movement patterns involving refugees and migrants along the central Mediterranean route.
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors without Borders (MSF) warns that ongoing restrictions on humanitarian movements in parts of Jonglei State, South Sudan, are directly preventing lifesaving referrals of at least 20 critically-ill patients in need of urgent specialised care, placing their lives at immediate risk.
As of the end of December 2025, South Sudan hosts 605,062 refugees and asylum-seekers across 161,400 households, settled in 29 locations nationwide. This includes 601,814 registered refugees and 3,248 asylum-seekers.
South Sudan continues to face severe humanitarian emergencies driven by climate shocks, relentless violence, multiple disease outbreaks and a struggling economy.
In November, an estimated 5.97 million people (42 per cent of the population) face Crisis or worse Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) Phase 3+, including about 1.3 million in Emergency (IPC Phase 4).
From 5 to 14 December 2025, a significant influx of returnees and Sudanese nationals fleeing the escalating conflict in Greater Kordofan was observed at the Panakuach Point of Entry (PoE).
An estimated 5.97 million people are currently in IPC Phase 3 or worse, including 28,000 in Phase 5 (Catastrophe). Projections indicate this could rise to 7.56 million during the 2026 lean season, with 3.26 million women and children acutely malnourished or at risk.
Since February 2025, 190,000 South Sudanese have sought refuge in countries neighboring South Sudan, including an estimated 45,000 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), 39,000 in Ethiopia, 75,000 in Sudan, and 30,000 in Uganda.
To provide humanitarian actors with information and analysis on the Nagero County– Wau County displacement situation, including an overview of the humanitarian situation in Nagero County, to affect a more informed humanitarian response and enable better prepared response planning, and to enable evidence-based advocacy on behalf of affected populations.
Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, the conflict that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 continues to fuel one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises, one marked by extreme violence, widespread human rights violations, and mass displacement.
Escalating conflict, displacement, access constraints, economic instability, climate shocks, and disease outbreaks continued to worsen the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan throughout October.
• South Sudan is facing overlapping crises, including violence, protracted economic decline and climate shocks, which continue to fuel food insecurity and malnutrition.
