South Sudan

NP enhances the capacity of South Sudanese people to be active agents of change within their communities and to take a leading role in peacebuilding and violence reduction. You can read stories of our work in South Sudan on our blog here. 

When political and ethnic tension reached its peak in late 2013, violence broke out in South Sudan’s capital of Juba. It spread throughout the country in a flash causing a devastating humanitarian crisis and forcing over 4 million people from their homes. According to estimates, the conflict has left over 400,000 people dead. The years of brutal violence, displacement, deteriorating economic situation, and the marginalization of groups such as women and youth have weakened the ability of South Sudanese communities to cope and respond to the ongoing crisis. Although several peace agreements were signed between 2013 and 2018, little progress has been made to uphold them. Human rights violations and incidents of violence continue to take a toll on civilians as of early 2020. 

Eight years into the conflict, 7.5 million people – over half being children – rely on humanitarian assistance to survive. 2.2 million people remain displaced in six neighboring countries and another 1.5 displaced within South Sudan. Ethnic tensions, gender-based violence, cattle raiding and revenge killing continue to contribute to this cyclical, multigenerational conflict. The conflict is exacerbated by the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, breakdown of traditional justice systems and diminished capacity of people to face threats to their health, safety, and livelihoods. 

NP has been implementing Unarmed Civilians Protection (UCP) in South Sudan since 2010. It is one of the largest protection programs in the country, with a focus on child protection, women's participation in peace and security and prevention and reduction of all forms of violence against civilians. 

NP provides direct protection to groups and individuals at risk of violence, trains communities in nonviolence, conflict management and self-protection and advocates for the transformation of harmful practices and reduction of negative coping behaviors. NP assists survivors of violence, particularly civilians affected by sexual and gender-based violence, by providing protective accompaniment and referrals to critical life-saving services.