A sharp rise in kidnappings of aid workers in South Sudan, with over 30 incidents reported this year, has intensified concerns for their safety and disrupted critical humanitarian services, according to two senior officials from international aid groups. The figure more than doubles the abductions recorded in 2024, amid escalating violence between the national army and opposition factions, marking the worst unrest since the 2018 peace deal that ended a civil war that killed approximately 400,000 people.

The kidnappings, increasingly driven by ransom demands, have targeted aid workers in Central and Western Equatoria states, severely impacting life-saving operations along South Sudan’s borders with Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Central African Republic. In July, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) suspended operations in two counties after an armed abduction of a staff member in Yei, following another kidnapping days earlier. “We cannot keep our staff in an unsafe environment,” said MSF’s head of mission, Dr Ferdinand Atte.

A notable case involved James Unguba, a South Sudanese aid worker kidnapped in Tambura, Western Equatoria, last month, who died in captivity on September 3, sources confirmed. Abducted by men in military uniforms, the circumstances of his death remain unclear, with South Sudan’s military denying involvement. While some kidnapped workers have been freed through ransom payments, often facilitated by intermediaries like churches, the United Nations, and most aid groups adhere to a no-ransom policy.

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Analysts warn this surge in ransom-driven abductions, a new trend in a region long deemed dangerous by the UN, could become a nationwide crisis. “The biggest fear is that this could make humanitarian work impossible,” said Ferenc Marko, a South Sudan expert. Compounding the issue, reduced funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development and European donors threatens aid operations, as global violence against aid workers reached record levels in 2024, with 383 killed, per Humanitarian Outcomes.

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