In a report released Tuesday, the medical charity, also known as Doctors Without Borders or MSF, said armed actors and authorities were obstructing humanitarian access to contested regions and opposition-held territories despite severe civilian needs in the country.
MSF said the South Sudanese government had blocked the organization from accessing Akobo town in Jonglei state, an area affected by recent fighting where the group supports one of the region’s few functioning hospitals.

The organization also documented attacks on MSF facilities between January 2025 and April 2026, estimating that approximately 762,000 people lost access to healthcare services as a result of the violence and operational disruptions.

South Sudan has remained unstable since gaining independence in 2011, descending into civil war marked by ethnic violence, political rivalry and widespread humanitarian crises. Fighting has intensified again over the past 18 months between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and armed groups aligned with his longtime rival Riek Machar.

According to conflict monitoring organization Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, violence has been reported in 73 of South Sudan’s 79 counties.
MSF said all parties involved in the conflict appeared to be using humanitarian access and aid operations to pursue military and political goals, a trend the organization described as deeply concerning given the country’s worsening humanitarian conditions.

The warning comes as international aid agencies face growing funding constraints and donor fatigue, prompting some organizations to scale back operations in South Sudan.

Senior US State Department official Nick Checker recently accused the South Sudanese government of making “insincere promises of reform” to secure international funding while obstructing lifesaving humanitarian assistance.

The United States Embassy in South Sudan said in April that the humanitarian crisis continued to deteriorate despite billions of dollars in oil revenue and foreign aid flowing into the country.

The United Nations estimates that nearly two-thirds of South Sudan’s population faces acute hunger, with insecurity, displacement and economic collapse compounding one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies.

The warning came as Israeli authorities issued new displacement orders for 16 areas south of the Litani River, instructing residents to move toward the nearby city of Saida, adding further pressure on already strained communities and humanitarian operations.

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said civilians continued to bear the brunt of the hostilities, with women and children disproportionately affected by displacement, overcrowded shelters and worsening living conditions.

He said reports indicated rising levels of psychological distress, family separation and increased risks of gender-based violence, particularly in temporary shelters where access to protection services remains limited.

“We and our partners are responding to the mounting needs where access allows,” Dujarric told reporters, while noting that humanitarian operations remain constrained by insecurity and restricted access in several affected areas.

A new joint analysis by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme found that a sharp escalation in violence had reversed earlier food-security improvements and pushed Lebanon back into a crisis phase.

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification assessment, around 1.24 million people nearly one in four of those surveyed — are projected to face IPC Phase 3, or crisis-level, food insecurity or worse during the April-to-August period.

At that level, households are typically forced to adopt severe coping strategies such as skipping meals, reducing food quality or selling essential assets to afford basic supplies.

Lebanon has been grappling with overlapping economic, political and security crises for years, with inflation, currency collapse and weakened state institutions already undermining access to food and public services before the latest surge in violence.

Humanitarian agencies also warned that funding shortfalls were limiting relief efforts. The Lebanon Flash Appeal has received just over $117 million so far, only 38% of the $308 million required to meet urgent needs, according to U.N. figures.

Dujarric said that without immediate additional funding and improved humanitarian access, conditions were likely to deteriorate further, leaving more families exposed to hunger, displacement and prolonged hardship.