50% increase in medical evacuations in South Sudan due to the intensification of the conflict

1 day ago

Less than a minute

50% increase in medical evacuations in South Sudan due to the intensification of the conflict

She said The International Committee of the Red Cross The operations of Medical evacuation of the wounded in Salva Kiir Battles against opposition militias allied with his opponent, Riek Machar, in several areas.
The International Committee of the Red Cross indicated that it evacuated 266 wounded throughout South Sudan between January and June, a number that translates to a 50% increase compared to the same period last year.
The committee’s statement stated that evacuations increased with the intensification of conflict and violence since late 2025.
He added Statement: The battles also led to significant loss of life and many injuries, which increased the demand for life-saving care.
The committee indicated that most of the evacuations were carried out by air to the military hospital in Juba, where surgical operations increased by about 30% during the first half of 2026.

Closing foreign relief hospitals

A number of hospitals run by foreign relief organizations were closed after being exposed to attacks with renewed violence that also caused Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.
Rose Ochieng, health program coordinator at the International Committee of the Red Cross in South Sudan, said: The conflict is not abating, humanitarian needs are increasing, and the lack of funding has burdened hospitals.

Last week, the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) reported a noticeable increase in the number of civilians killed and victims of sexual violence compared to the previous three months.
According to the mission, it witnessed Between January and March 2026, there were 206 conflict-related violent incidents affecting 1,388 civilians, most of them men, of whom 767 were killed, an 89% increase compared to the previous three months.
Hundreds more were injured, while 93 people were kidnapped and 71 others were subjected to conflict-related sexual violence.

Priority to protect civilians

The head of the mission, Anita Kiki Gbeho, said: Each statistic in the report reflects the impact of ongoing violence on people’s lives, calling on parties to make the protection of civilians a priority.
South Sudan gained independence in 2011, but was quickly plunged into civil war between forces loyal to Salva Kiir and Riek Machar.
The power-sharing agreement concluded in 2018 established some stability, but it remains fragile in light of renewed violence.