Around 100,000 people fled into neighbouring Ethiopia in search of safety, with population movements remaining fluid.
Meanwhile, thousands have also returned home in recent weeks despite ongoing insecurity, limited services and severe humanitarian needs.
UNHCR teams on the ground have witnessed the emergency unfold.
Many families are returning to find their homes destroyed or looted, forcing them to cram into unfinished buildings and makeshift shelters made from sticks and plastic sheeting.
UNHCR and partners remain on the ground monitoring borders and carrying out targeted community-based protection services to identify those most in need and referring them to available services.
Jonglei’s Akobo County, the epicentre of the violence, is facing the heaviest impact.
Around 140,000 people have been displaced there alone, while more than 300,000 have been uprooted across Jonglei and neighbouring states since December last year.
Refugees in Eastern and Southern Africa remain in exile for a median period of almost 16 years, underscoring the urgent need to expand solutions.
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Many have exhausted their resources after moving repeatedly between South Sudan and Ethiopia in search of safety.
For some, returning to Akobo is not a sign that conditions for return are ideal, but instead a reflection of how few options remain.
We are warning that a grave crisis is unfolding in South Sudan’s eastern Jonglei State, where months of fighting and insecurity have forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes. It’s triggering one of the most severe conflict-related displacement emergencies in recent years.
The lack of safe shelter and basic services is sharply increasing protection risks.
Women and children remain particularly exposed to exploitation, abuse and violence, while older people, those with disabilities and other vulnerable groups face serious challenges.
However, humanitarian needs are growing fast, and the response cannot keep pace. www.unhcr.org/news/briefin...
