100,000 flee South Sudan offensive into Ethiopia, says UNICEF

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JUBA - An order by South Sudan's army to evacuate the opposition-held town of Akobo earlier this month pushed an estimated 100,000 people to flee across the border into Ethiopia, UNICEF said Tuesday.

Akobo in the eastern state of Jonglei is the latest flashpoint as fighting between the government and opposition has brought South Sudan back to the brink of all-out civil war.

The army ordered an evacuation of the town, including foreign aid agencies, on March 6.

It claims to have since taken control of Akobo, though there have been conflicting reports of events on the ground, which have been impossible to verify due to limited communications.

A security source told AFP that the army had taken over the military barracks in Akobo and destroyed buildings in the vicinity to create a buffer zone, but no official report had yet been issued.

The UN children's agency said "violence and conflict are raging" across Jonglei, creating a "deteriorating situation for children".

"An estimated 100,000 people have crossed the border into Ethiopia, and others have moved to safer areas in Jonglei and Upper Nile states," UNICEF said in a statement.

"All those receiving treatment in Akobo hospital –- previously a safe haven for the sick and injured –- have left. Reports confirm that the hospital has been looted and is now closed."

It said rates of malnutrition among displaced children were "worryingly high".

Twenty-eight health and nutrition facilities have been destroyed, looted or shut in Jonglei so far this year, at a time when the region is facing a cholera outbreak, the agency said.

South Sudan gained independence in 2011 but soon descended into civil war and remains mired in extreme poverty and corruption.

A 2018 power-sharing deal between President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival Riek Machar has been unravelling since early 2025, with clashes in multiple areas and fears of a return to full-blown war.