South Sudan’s military and opposition forces have blocked humanitarian access and unjustifiably ordered civilians to evacuate populated areas, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Sunday. 

The country’s military has issued multiple evacuation orders since late 2025, at least three of which have been “sweeping in nature.” Over the same period, opposition forces occupying areas of the country have also issued at least three such orders. As a result, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been forced to flee their homes, schools, and businesses.

Nyagoah Tut Pur, South Sudan researcher at HRW, warned of dire consequences the military activity has on civilians, stating:

Repeated pressure, from both South Sudanese authorities and opposition forces, on civilians to evacuate populated areas is placing hundreds of thousands of people in harm’s way… Warring parties should not force people to flee towards further danger and destitution and are obligated to protect civilians whether or not they evacuate areas of military operations.

HRW reported that following some evacuation orders, the government launched indiscriminate aerial bombings of the cleared areas, harming numerous civilians left behind.

The government has additionally imposed “no-flight” zones that effectively limit humanitarian-worker access to opposition-held areas. Opposition forces have taken similar action, stating that humanitarian agencies accessing certain government-controlled areas would be considered government-aligned. Pur explained:

South Sudan’s authorities appear to be instrumentalizing aid access to meet their own agenda, leaving hundreds of thousands of civilians in desperate need. International and regional actors should ensure accountability for the massive man-made humanitarian crisis and ongoing attacks on civilians and aid restrictions

Article 52 of Section IV of Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions holds that all civilian objects—any property or infrastructure that is not a military objective, such as homes, schools, hospitals, or places of worship—shall not be the target of any direct attack or of reprisals.

UN experts, in an April 2 press release, called for all parties to the South Sudan conflict to immediately stop the violence and engage in meaningful dialogue to ensure that all citizens receive protection, and to avoid any further escalation of the conflict.