A humanitarian disaster is unfolding in Nyatim, a village in Nyirol county, Jonglei state, South Sudan, where an estimated 30,000 people have fled in search of safety after recent violence in Lankien and Pieri.
At least 58 people have died over the past four weeks in Nyatim, where authorities are blocking humanitarian access to aid organizations, according to our Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff members who were displaced from Lankien and Pieri earlier this year, along with other community members.
Responding to the needs of displaced people
Most of the people who have been displaced to Nyatim are women, children, elderly people, people who are ill, and others who are unable to endure moving to safer locations. People are being subjected to abductions by armed gangs and going without adequate food and shelter, clean water, medicines, or means to leave the area. Humanitarian access and a scale-up of assistance are urgently needed.
“One of our colleagues, who is currently in Nyatim, has reported that people are dying of suspected hunger, as their only food is boiled tree leaves,” said Gul Badshah, MSF operations manager. “They also said that around a dozen children died of acute watery diarrhea and suspected malaria. Based on the ground reports, at least 10 people were abducted by armed gangs in the Nyatim area, including one breastfeeding mother who was shot dead.”
MSF teams also managed to hear from women who were able to leave Nyatim with their children and arrived at Chuil, a small town on shores of Sobat River where at least 25,000 people have sought refuge. The distance between the two villages is about 30 miles, which means people have had to walk for days while being exposed to potential violence.
“We adults try to be strong, but the children die in front of our eyes,” said Nyaluat*, a woman from Nyatim who has arrived in Chuil. “Sometimes children watch their mothers or fathers die. This was happening every day in Nyatim. If you survive, you survive. If you die, you die. That is how we live now.”
“The truth is that people are dying there,” said Nyapini*, another displaced woman in Chuil. “Some die from sickness, some from hunger, and some are killed in the bush when they go to collect wild fruits, leaves, or water lilies. If something can be done to help them, it would be very important.”
“When we fled Lankien, the men and women became separated,” said Nyaruop*, also displaced. “We ran in different directions, and I went with the children toward Nyatim. We suffered a lot there. We were hungry, we were sick, and there was no help coming from anywhere. Life there was very hard.”
Nyaluat
“If they return, we thank God”
We arrived in Pathiel yesterday after being displaced by the violence. It took us six days to get here on foot. I came with my husband, but we traveled as part of a group.
In Nyatim, people are still dying from hunger, from sickness, and from attacks by neighboring communities. Children are dying from treatable diseases but there is no medicine, no clean water, and no food. People are crowded together, and if someone goes out to collect desert dates or search for food, there is a risk they may never return. When someone leaves, we don’t know if we will see them again. If they return, we thank God. If they don’t, we know something bad has happened, most likely, they are dead.
MSF teams in Chuil are responding to the needs of displaced people. MSF has upgraded the general health care center to provide emergency care, treatment for malnutrition, maternal health services, and stabilization for trauma cases. Our teams have also distributed relief items to more than 1,500 families to help them cope with the harsh living conditions. And to help with water and sanitation, MSF is building latrines and constructing a water purification plant.
Humanitarian access is urgently needed
“People in Nyatim are being trapped. Even if they want to leave this area, the vast majority of them do not have the strength or means, including transportation and money, to do so,” said Badshah. “MSF calls upon the relevant authorities to urgently secure humanitarian access to Nyatim and prevent even more deaths and suffering. Our teams have been requesting access to Nyatim for the past month, but without any success so far.”
MSF also calls upon the international community, United Nations agencies, relevant embassies, and other influential organizations to help urgently secure humanitarian access to Nyatim.
How MSF is responding in Jonglei state
Escalating violence in Jonglei state, including the February 3 bombing of MSF’s hospital in Lankien, forced MSF to suspend all medical activities in Lankien and Pieri as of February 4, 2026. Following these incidents, almost all people from Lankien and Pieri areas fled their homes.
More than 70 MSF staff members, who were also displaced from Lankien, are now supporting our response in the small town of Chuil. Other displaced staff are doing everything they can to help patients in swamps around Lankien, particularly in Nyatim.
*Full names withheld for privacy
We speak out. Get updates.
News May 18, 2026
Urgent action needed to ensure more children in conflict zones are vac...
Read more
