By Matik Kueth
In South Sudan’s Upper Nile and Jonglei States, a brutal conflict continues to displace thousands, with women and children enduring the most severe consequences.
From the flooded lowlands of Fangak County to the crowded displacement camps of Gambella, Ethiopia, harrowing accounts of survival, loss, and resilience underscore the growing humanitarian catastrophe as these vulnerable groups left behind homes, communities, and loved ones.
Mother’s escape
Elizabeth Nyewal, a mother of three from Nasir County, was forced to flee her home in March following intense clashes between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In Opposition (SPLA-IO).
In an exclusive interview with King Media on Tuesday, Nyewal recounted the terrifying ordeal of escaping relentless aerial attacks that targeted civilians.
“What took us to Gambella is the war that erupted in March in Nasir. It is the reason we are here today [Gambella]. The war was very bad, we fled and left everything in Nasir. I have come with my three children. What brought me here is that back home (Nasir), the way people died,” Nyewal stated.
Now living in a camp in Gambella designed for temporary stays but now overwhelmed by displaced people, mostly women and children, Nyewal struggles daily to support her family.
“People are being killed back home there (Nasir). But if one finds a place that one can settle in, one can just settle. Things are hard with us here. I must collect firewood, tree leaves so that we could survive,” she lamented.
In the camp, she continues to face extreme hardship with limited food, water, and sanitation, Daily survival depends on scavenging for firewood and edible leaves, as the constant threat of violence still looms, even in exile.
Hiding in the reeds
A photo of Nyehok with her family, captured on a makeshift reed raft floating on the swampy waters of the White Nile in Fangak, as they hide among the reeds. [Photo – Courtesy]
She fled her village after a bombing raid destroyed her home and a local Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital on March 3, 2025, and could not return to the town due to ongoing aerial attacks in the area.
“We have been here for weeks now, and we can’t go back to the town headquarters since it has been facing continual bombings. That’s why I came with my children to the river so that when it bombs us, it will not explode. I am here with my five children and other women who are here with their children,” she said.
Ms. Khor and others remain stranded without access to healthcare or shelter, contending with constant mosquito bites and the growing threat of malaria.
Despite these hardships, she calls on the government and the white army to cease fighting for peace to return to the area.
“We women are tired of this war; we cannot endure another war as if the country is struggling for independence again. The government and the white army should dialogue so that this war stops. But when the situation calms, we will go back because there’s no death greater than another death,” she stressed.
Children’s ordeal
The fighting has also taken a heavy toll on children, where in Nasir County, 13-year-old Gatkuoth Koang was separated from his family during the March bombings and now lives in Panyiduk camp in the Gambella region.
“There (Nasir), it’s just that people have suffered a lot. Even the people I came here with. I left a place where I didn’t even have a penny, and things are hard for me now,” Koang explains to King Media.
Koang lost his mother and three brothers in the aerial attack on March 14, 2025, which was allegedly carried out by the Ugandan People’s Defense Force (UPDF).
Surviving only because he stayed at his uncle’s house that night, Koang fled into the wilderness towards Ethiopia.
“I can’t even describe how my three brothers and mother died in Nasir during the bombing at night. But because it spent the night in my uncle’s own that day when the airplane bombed Nasir, I was just told that my brothers and mother died. And the same night, we had to run into the wilderness towards Ethiopia,” he noted.
However, Nyaguande Majiok, 14, also sought safety in Gambella after Ulang was subjected to heavy aerial bombings.
On their journey, her group was attacked by armed youth from the Anyuak community, resulting in her separation from her parents.
“Since the fighting between the white army and the SSPDF occurred, things got worse because there was aerial bombing of civilians. After that, things got worse, and we had to flee the area. My parents decided that we should go to Ethiopia to the Gambella camp. But on our way, we were attacked by a group of armed youth from the Anyuak community and we all dispersed into the forest. So, I am just here in Gambella camp, and I don’t know where my parents are now. It’s so sad,” she explained.
A region in ruin
According to the United Nations, thousands have been forced to abandon their homes due to continuous aerial assaults across the Upper Nile State.
In Fangak County alone, MSF reported that more than 100,000 people have been displaced so far.
Flooding, ongoing violence, and attacks on healthcare facilities have significantly obstructed access to food, shelter, and medical care.
The bombing of the MSF hospital in Old Fangak on May 3 has further complicated relief efforts.
Zakaria Mwatia, MSF’s head of mission in South Sudan, appealed for immediate action to safeguard civilians and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“We urgently call on all parties to the conflict to ensure the protection of civilians, healthcare workers, and medical facilities, and to grant unhindered access for humanitarian and medical assistance, in line with international humanitarian law,” he stated.
He added, “As an independent organization, we provide medical care to everyone in need regardless of their affiliation in neutral and impartial manner. With cholera spreading and violence continuing, the need for medical care in the Upper Nile state has become more critical than before.”
The stories of Nyewal, Khor, Koang, and Majok are just a few of many. Their experiences highlight the catastrophic impact of South Sudan’s ongoing conflict on civilians.