Thousands of people have fled the South Sudanese town of Akobo and surrounding areas as the army intensifies strikes against rebels in Jonglei state. The latest fighting has prompted UN warnings of a potential return to full-blown civil war in the world's youngest nation.
Nyawan Koang, a mother-of-five, describes her journey: We were wedged between two forces: the SPLA-IO and the government, and their bullets kill us. Her family, among the 280,000 displaced, was forced to walk two days to reach safety in Duk, having fled the violent clashes that have claimed countless lives.
The fighting, primarily between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and his rival Riek Machar, has left a trail of destruction, with entire villages torched and civilians indiscriminately killed. Nyawan lost her parents to an airstrike: Fire came from the sky and burned them, she recalls.
Civilians like community leader Hoth Wan Kornyom have also suffered, with family members killed as communities grapple with the chaos of displacement. This resurgence of violence exacerbates an already dire humanitarian landscape, where nearly 10 million out of 14 million South Sudanese need food assistance.
Ongoing violence and political instability put the fragile peace established by a 2018 power-sharing agreement at risk, as millions of South Sudanese yearn for stability after years of conflict.
