South Sudan Military Offensive Forces 100,000 Refugees Into Ethiopia Within Days
Addis Ababa, 18 March 2026
A 72-hour military evacuation order in South Sudan’s Akobo town has triggered the largest single displacement event in the region this year, with 100,000 people fleeing across the Ethiopian border. The mass exodus follows escalating conflict between government forces and opposition groups, bringing South Sudan perilously close to renewed civil war. Healthcare infrastructure has collapsed entirely, with Akobo hospital—formerly a safe haven—now looted and abandoned. Meanwhile, existing refugee camps in Kenya face severe food insecurity, with 58% of 429,000 refugees already at crisis levels. The dual humanitarian emergency across East Africa underscores the region’s mounting refugee burden as violence intensifies.
Military Escalation Triggers Mass Displacement
The humanitarian catastrophe began on 6 March 2026 when South Sudan’s army issued a 72-hour evacuation order for Akobo County, forcing civilians, UN personnel, and aid workers to abandon the opposition-held town [1][2]. The military offensive in Jonglei State represents the latest escalation in violence that has brought the world’s youngest nation back to the brink of all-out civil war [3][4]. Since the evacuation deadline, an estimated 100,000 people have crossed into Ethiopia’s Gambella region, whilst others have sought refuge in safer areas within Jonglei and Upper Nile states [1][2][3].
Healthcare Infrastructure Collapses Amid Violence
The conflict has devastated medical facilities across the region, with Akobo hospital—previously considered a safe haven for the sick and injured—now looted and completely abandoned [2][3][4]. All patients receiving treatment have fled, leaving the facility closed as violence and conflict rage across Jonglei [2][3]. Since January 2026, a total of 28 health and nutrition facilities have been destroyed, looted, or forced to shut down across the state [1][2][3], representing a catastrophic collapse of healthcare infrastructure at a time when the region faces multiple health emergencies.
Regional Refugee Burden Intensifies
The sudden influx of 100,000 refugees adds severe pressure to Ethiopia’s already overstretched humanitarian resources, as the country continues hosting hundreds of thousands of displaced people from various regional conflicts [2]. Basic necessities including food, clean water, shelter, and medical care face critical shortages as local authorities and humanitarian organisations struggle to accommodate the rapid increase in arrivals [2]. The refugee flow into Ethiopia occurs alongside a deepening food security crisis in neighbouring Kenya’s refugee camps, where 58% of the 429,000 refugees in Dadaab, Kakuma, and Kalobeyei have reached crisis levels (IPC3+) [5].