In early February 2026, South Sudan’s army launched a counter-offensive in Jonglei State, leading to large-scale destruction in towns such as Lankien. According to reports, hospitals, markets, and homes were burned or looted, and civilians fled to nearby swamps. Satellite imagery analyzed by the Center for Information Resilience (CIR) confirmed extensive damage between February 3 and 9, while residents and aid workers described deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said everything essential for survival had been systematically destroyed.

Authorities have called the campaign “Operation Enduring Peace,” aimed at reclaiming rebel-held areas. However, residents told Al Jazeera they believed government forces were responsible for the devastation, though independent verification was not possible due to restricted access. The government denied targeting civilians, claiming its operations were defensive. The violence followed the 2025 arrest of opposition leader Riek Machar, which reignited conflict between his forces and those loyal to President Salva Kiir.

The United Nations reported that 28 health centers were damaged or looted, leaving 70 percent nonfunctional. Aid agencies warned that over 70,000 people face severe hunger, and experts fear the crisis could push South Sudan toward state collapse.

A small passenger aircraft operated by Citilink Aviation crashed southwest of Juba, the capital of South Sudan, on Monday, April 27, 2026, killing all 14 people on board, including the pilot. The Cessna 208 Caravan had departed from Yei for Juba International Airport and lost contact with air traffic control shortly after takeoff, according to the country’s Civil Aviation Authority cited by Al Jazeera.

Authorities suspect that poor weather and low visibility caused the crash. A team was dispatched to collect information and provide emergency assistance at the site. Joseph Lukak Charles, head of the South Sudan Red Cross Juba branch, said rescuers faced difficulties reaching the remote mountainous area and continued recovery efforts until the afternoon. He added that the victims’ bodies were badly burned, making identification difficult.

The aircraft took off at 9:15 a.m. local time and lost contact at 9:43 a.m. Among the dead were 12 South Sudanese nationals and two Kenyan citizens.

At least 40 people were killed in an airstrike carried out by the South Sudanese army in the southern Kordofan region on Saturday, November 30. The attack struck a nursing school in the village of Komo, according to local residents and human rights group Emergency Lawyers. Witnesses reported that dozens of students and civilians were among the dead, with villagers burying more than 40 bodies. A military official, speaking anonymously, denied that the army targets civilians, though similar accusations have persisted since the conflict began in April 2023. The Sudanese army continues to battle the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied Sudan People’s Liberation Movement–North for control of key areas in Darfur and South Kordofan. The United Nations reports that around 5,000 people were displaced from small villages in South Kordofan in November alone, as the war has already killed hundreds of thousands and displaced over 12 million people nationwide.