From conflict to conflict: Protection needs and responses in South Sudan amid the Sudan crisis

Background

The humanitarian needs and protection risks faced by civilian populations in South Sudan have been a long-standing concern. The recent escalation of violence in Sudan, particularly between the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, has further worsened the conditions and exposed returnees to widespread physical and sexual violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, torture, and killing.

Since the start of the civil war in South Sudan in 2013, many South Sudanese nationals sought refuge in Khartoum, Darfur, and other areas of Sudan. However, with the increasing violence in Sudan, these individuals are now returning to South Sudan in significant numbers, with over 120,585 returnees registering as internally displaced persons (IDPs) as of 25 June 2023 (note that this figure is underreported as many returnees remain unregistered – for updated figures, refer to the UNHCR dashboard).

Many returnees are female-headed households with children, and their mass displacement into South Sudan, along with Sudanese nationals, is exposing civilians to severe violence, as well as placing enormous strain on existing community and government support, including essential goods and services.

Furthermore, the current economic strain in the global humanitarian context has made it difficult for donors and humanitarian organizations to scale up a much-needed humanitarian response, both inside Sudan and in bordering countries hosting civilians in need. This slow response has resulted in returnees and host communities struggling to meet basic needs and facing increased risks of sexual and gender-based violence, child protection and family separation, and intercommunal mistrust and violence.

This report focuses on the protection needs and risks faced by returnees and host communities in South Sudan, with a specific emphasis on the challenges and vulnerabilities experienced by South Sudanese nationals (both returnees and the communities who host them). While the needs of Sudanese refugees and other non-Sudanese or South Sudanese nationals who have arrived in South Sudan so far remain critical, these needs are captured in analysis elsewhere, including forthcoming analysis from Nonviolent Peaceforce (NP).

This report highlights the ongoing protection needs and risks facing returnees and host communities in South Sudan in the wake of the Sudan crisis. It underscores the need for urgent and conflict-sensitive responses to these needs, such as a rapid scale-up of response for both returnee and host communities, dedicated resources for a holistic protection response that goes beyond case management, investment in community-led mechanisms, and accessible information on this response to be made available to civilians.