Preamble
On March 17, 2025, an airstrike was launched by the South Sudanese Airforce in the Nasir County killing about 19 persons as hostilities intensified between the South Sudan People’s Defense Forces (SSPDF) and the White Army militia comprising locals from the region. The strike, as proposed by some analysts, was a retaliatory one in response to the killing of at least 27 soldiers, including high ranked officers. This happened when a UN helicopter was attacked during an evacuation operation ten days prior. These incidents are typical of ones that have come to characterize the political landscape of South Sudan, a country that has a history of conflicts predating its independence; which itself had been obtained from Sudan in 2011 after two civil wars. With former rebels controlling the newly formed state, the country has continuously been plagued by the challenge of conflicts. This has been exacerbated by ingrained political corruption resulting from the struggle for the control of its natural resources, especially oil. The official discovery of oil in 1978 subsequently led to the confirmation that the country possesses the third largest oil reserve on the continent, a paradox when juxtaposed with the impoverishment of its citizens. What is more, its decentralized security architecture remains the bane of development, especially with persistent confrontations between SSPDF and the White Army. Attempts at managing the challenge of insecurity in the country include the February 2024 interactive workshop organised by the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), in collaboration with the Ministry of Peacebuilding, Local Government and Law Enforcement, which brought together the SSPDF and community members to smoothen civil-military relations in the Nasir County. However, this has done very little to douse tensions in the region. Apart from conflicts between the militia and SSPDF, cholera epidemic and starvation have plagued the Nasir County and led to high mortality rates, including trauma-induced deaths. According to the World Food Program, at least 57 per cent of the population are at risk of acute hunger, emergency and some other crises, while about 2.3 million children were reported to be vulnerable to malnutrition amidst a looming danger of famine. However, the world’s attention has been diverted from the humanitarian emergency in South Sudan, having been overshadowed by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Following from this, the September 26, 2025 edition of WATJCentre’s Africanist Scholars Forum focused on the enduring challenge of conflicts in South Sudan, while spotlighting the humanitarian emergencies in the Nasir County located within the Upper Nile region close the border with Ethiopia.
Observations
We note that the economy of South Sudan, which is heavily reliant on Sudan for its oil exports, has been negatively impacted by the war of attrition between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Army. Earlier in the year, the RSF targeted Port Sudan, an export hub, by using suicide drones to destroy its depots and electricity facilities. The port, which became a revenue generation source for Sudan after the 2005 Peace Agreement, is one of its many vulnerable economic infrastructures. This is because South Sudan’s pipelines extend through Sudan and its ports for access to the red sea. South Sudan thus had to pay the RSF to stop attacks on oil facilities within the area it controls, as well as concede some territories to the militia for its operations. As it stands, the general populace is yet to benefit from its oil wealth, 60 per cent of which goes to oil corporations; while the rest is shared among the elites who perpetuate bureaucratic corruption. As a result, more than half of its population experience starvation and at least two thirds are living below the poverty line. To worsen the situation, some of its regions have been plagued by environmental challenges resulting from unregulated oil exploration activities, flooding and logging. What is more, economic growth in the country with the largest wetland in Africa has been hindered by the inability if its citizens to practice agriculture on the largescale as insecurity makes industrialisation impossible. This also applies to the wildlife industry that controls 14% of its landmass and is yet to realise the potential for substantial revenue generation.
A September 2025 report by the UN Commission on Human Rights elaborated on how economic corruption by South Sudanese political elites impedes the provision of food, health and education in the country. These were exemplified by the use of about $2.2 billion for political patronage under the guise of building road infrastructure, diversion of tax revenues and lack of accountability in the non-oil sectors. This is despite the humanitarian tragedy resulting from perennial conflicts that prevent aid delivery, particularly through water routes leading to remote areas. This is noticeable within the Nasir County, where over 1 million people were documented to be facing acute hunger as of July 2025. The challenge of flooding in the county has affected its agricultural potential, with families surviving on water lilies harvested from flooded areas. Incessant aerial bombardments and heavy fighting have included attacks on medical facilities, including those belonging to the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). Humanitarian emergency in the county has been compounded by the southern migration of a predominantly South Sudanese population experiencing double displacements due to the conflicts in Sudan since April 2023. Unfortunately, the dream of rebuilding their lives on their return home continues to be thwarted by violent crises.
The Nasir County hosted the UN relief team to facilitate Operation Lifeline Sudan that was created for humanitarian interventions during the over two decades of civil war in Sudan that ended in 2005. Contrastingly, it also served as the location for the launch of the South Sudanese independence movement led by Dr Riek Machar. However, the outbreak of the civil war between the Nuer and Dinka, after the removal of Dr Machar and other members of the cabinet by President Salva Kiir, has led to a humanitarian disaster in the area which is predominantly inhabited by the Nuer people. The war has been characterized by sexual abuses, extrajudicial killings, arson and looting perpetrated by both the SSPDF (populated by the Dinka) and the rebel Nuer forces who arbitrarily target civilians and aid workers. In January 2025, for instance, a boat belonging to MSF was attacked leading to the suspension of its operations. The fighting has resulted in displacements to Ethiopia or IDP camps in South Sudan, while social amenities including schools, clinics and markets have been annihilated. With heavy reliance on agrarian practices for economic survival, the war has deprived Nasir County residents the affordances of growing crops and/or rearing cattle. The camps have also been plagued with disease outbreaks among a poorly-fed refugee population.
Recommendations
It is important that the creation of a unified national military, in line with the 2018 Peace Agreement, be given the urgency it requires. This entails bringing all belligerent factions to the negotiating table in a government-led process that integrates the legitimate interests of all parties. This would not only help bring an end to the conflicts, but also prevent miscreants from perpetrating acts of violence against civilians by leveraging the factions within the country’s security architecture. To make this a sustainable endeavour, it is imperative to include and prioritize its funding within the national budget to take care of logistical challenges, training and welfare of the military.
There is the urgent need to negotiate access to humanitarian aid, especially in areas that are worst hit by conflicts, and are at the risk of acute famine. This requires diplomatic interventions among humanitarian workers, belligerent factions, government actors and community leaders as relevant stakeholders; towards providing short- and medium-term measures catering to the food, medical and other essential needs of vulnerable populations in South Sudan. This would include providing a dedicated and protected humanitarian corridor, alongside respecting the neutrality of humanitarian actors in line with the provisions of Rule 31 of the International Humanitarian Law.
Beyond this, it is important to have a long-term vision to drive economic sustainability in South Sudan by building the capabilities of citizens so as to maximise productivity. As recommended by Amartya Sen, this would be a citizen-driven process that prioritizes choices over recommendations by foreign actors. Thereby, ensuring a transgenerational economic template that would not only help preclude future conflicts but also engender prosperity in the country.