{"id":30734,"date":"2026-04-03T16:56:57","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:56:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/?post_type=news&#038;p=30734"},"modified":"2026-04-03T16:56:57","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T14:56:57","slug":"un-experts-warn-south-sudan-sliding-into-catastrophic-human-rights-humanitarian-crisis","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/un-experts-warn-south-sudan-sliding-into-catastrophic-human-rights-humanitarian-crisis\/","title":{"rendered":"UN experts warn South Sudan sliding into catastrophic human rights, humanitarian crisis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\">The experts urged all parties to immediately cease hostilities, ensure safe humanitarian access and create conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of internally displaced persons.<\/div>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"><\/div>\n<div data-olk-copy-source=\"MessageBody\"><\/div>\n<div>\u201cSouth Sudan stands at a critical juncture,\u201d the group said in a statement. \u201cAll parties must immediately cease hostilities and engage in meaningful dialogue to prevent further escalation of conflict and protect civilians.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Jonglei State has emerged as the epicentre of the crisis. More than 267 000 people have reportedly been displaced there since the beginning of 2026 alone, according to information cited by the experts.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Women make up the majority of those displaced, while children under 18 constitute a significant proportion of affected communities. Displaced families are facing acute food insecurity, severe shortages of shelter and limited access to healthcare, clean water and other essential services.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>The humanitarian situation is being further compounded by conflict and climate shocks, which have disrupted education across wide areas. More than 300 schools have reportedly been affected, leaving around 300 000 learners without access to education.<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\u201cThe reported destruction of water sources, as well as the looting and burning of homes, hospitals, schools and places of worship, are particularly alarming,\u201d the experts said. \u201cIf verified, these acts would constitute serious violations of international humanitarian law and may amount to war crimes.\u201d<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"x_elementToProof\">&#8211;UN\/ChannelAfrica&#8211;<\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":23129,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[78,26],"class_list":["post-30734","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"South Sudan is rapidly descending into a catastrophic human rights and humanitarian crisis, United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council\u2011appointed independent experts warned on\u00a0Thursday, calling for urgent action to protect civilians and prevent further escalation of violence.","published_date":"","news_description":"South Sudan is rapidly descending into a catastrophic human rights and humanitarian crisis, United Nations (UN) Human Rights Council\u2011appointed independent experts warned on\u00a0Thursday, calling for urgent action to protect civilians and prevent further escalation of violence.","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/30734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/30734\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30736,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/30734\/revisions\/30736"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=30734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}