JUBA, July 7 — The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Tuesday that it evacuated 266 wounded patients across South Sudan in the first half of 2026, an increase of more than 50 percent compared with the same period last year.
The ICRC said the surge came as renewed fighting placed severe pressure on local trauma services, just as the country marks 15 years of independence.
The global humanitarian organization warned of deepening humanitarian needs fueled by conflict, climate shocks, and the arrival of people fleeing violence in Sudan, while shrinking funding has left a growing number of people without critical aid.
“Conflict is not getting any better, and the humanitarian needs are also on the rise. This is further complicated by the fact that funding has gone down.
As a result, service provision at all levels of health care has been reduced, causing significant strain on hospitals,” Rose Ochieng, ICRC’s health coordinator in South Sudan, said in a statement.
The ICRC said the spike in evacuations came as the intensifying conflict and violence since late 2025 had forced thousands of families to flee their homes, depriving them of their livelihoods and safe access to health care.
It said the warring parties must allow the unhindered collection and evacuation of the wounded, ensure unobstructed access to medical care, and facilitate the rapid and unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance to civilians.
The ICRC added that it has evacuated more than 5,000 patients across South Sudan since 2014, noting that access to critical health care remains severely limited across much of the country.
