UN humanitarian chief visits South Sudan to highlight ongoing crisis

The United Nations (UN) humanitarian chief is undertaking a five-day visit to South Sudan, aimed at drawing global attention to the country's crisis driven by conflict, climate shocks, and poverty.

In a statement, the UN said Tom Fletcher, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, traveled to Malakal in Upper Nile State after arriving in South Sudan, where he met local communities, leaders, and South Sudanese returnees.

Fletcher disclosed via X that many displaced families have spent years in camps despite longing to return home.

"Nobody chooses to be in a camp like this. They want to be living at home in security, bringing up their families, putting their kids through schools, getting hospital treatment. And yet here they are, year after year after year," he said, adding that many had lost everything but not their dignity.

Fletcher noted that many of those displaced have endured repeated upheavals, including attacks and robbery along their journeys. He stressed that beyond advancing a peace process to end the conflict, one of the biggest challenges is overcoming what he described as apathy toward the suffering of South Sudan's people.

He is also scheduled to visit Jonglei State, where renewed violence has intensified humanitarian needs and further complicated relief operations.