South Sudan: As South Sudan Plans for Elections, a Town Counts the Cost of War

What the report says

The New Humanitarian reports from Akobo, a town in eastern South Sudan, where residents are returning after renewed fighting between government and opposition forces last year. The article says the violence shattered schools, health services and livelihoods, and left the town struggling even as the country prepares for its first planned elections. Akobo has been a flashpoint in clashes that followed the collapse of the 2018 peace deal, with the conflict also tied to the detention of opposition leader Riek Machar and broader tensions between President Salva Kiir’s government and the SPLM/A-IO.

According to the report, thousands of people fled Akobo when government forces advanced in March, many crossing into Ethiopia, and some later came back to a place still facing food shortages, damaged homes and limited basic services. Aid workers and local officials described severe humanitarian needs, including malnutrition, weak access to healthcare and dependence on food distributions. The article also notes allegations from aid and rights groups about restrictions on humanitarian access, while the government has denied or disputed such concerns in the past.

The reporting highlights Akobo hospital and a local maternity ward as examples of the strain on services. Staff described looting, shortages of equipment and medication, and difficulty providing emergency care. More broadly, the piece argues that the conditions on the ground raise doubts about whether elections could be held safely or inclusively in opposition-held areas, underscoring the gap between political planning and day-to-day reality for civilians.