UN Warns: 104 Women Displaced Every Hour in South Sudan

(MENAFN) More than 100 women and girls are being forced from their homes every single hour in South Sudan, UN Women warned Monday, as surging violence and a deepening food crisis push one of the world's most vulnerable populations to the brink.

In a statement following a five-day field mission to the country, Anna Mutavati, UN Women regional director for East and Southern Africa, revealed that women and girls account for nearly 60% of all displacement recorded this year — 223,641 out of 375,825 total displaced persons — a rate of 104 every hour.

The crisis is most acute in Jonglei State, where approximately 174,197 women and girls have been uprooted from their homes, making it the single hardest-hit region in the country.

Mutavati painted a harrowing picture of conditions on the ground, warning that women and girls are confronting a cascading set of dangers — killings, sexual violence, acute hunger, and the near-total collapse of health services.

"As the lean season begins, women and girls are already reporting eating wild plants to survive, with some going days without anything to eat," she said.

The scale of need is staggering. UN Women estimates that some 5 million women and girls across South Sudan require humanitarian assistance this year alone, with 2.5 million in urgent need of gender-based violence services.

Beyond immediate relief, Mutavati pressed for structural and political change, calling for the full implementation of South Sudan's peace agreement — including strict adherence to the minimum 35% quota for women's representation in government.

Looking ahead to the country's 2026 elections, she urged sustained international backing for women-led organizations and demanded "a credible, inclusive and transparent electoral roadmap" that guarantees women's "full, equal and meaningful participation."

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