South Sudan has struggled with conflict for decades and is now facing one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. After nearly 30 years of civil war, the country declared independence from Sudan in 2011, making it the world's youngest nation. However, South Sudan’s hard-won independence was soon overshadowed by internal conflict, which erupted into a violent civil war in 2013. The impact has been devastating, claiming tens of thousands of lives, displacing around one fifth of the population and inflaming ethnic tensions among the major tribes.

With an extreme poverty rate of nearly 73% (OECD, 2024), South Sudan is often considered the world’s poorest country. The widespread poverty remains a major obstacle to lasting peace as destitution and limited life prospects compel people, in particular young men, to join gangs and ethnic militias, thereby contributing to the perpetuation of violent conflict and instability.

Inter-communal violence is another destabilising factor. In the aftermath of the civil war, the country’s various tribes and communities lack a shared sense of cohesion and understanding, which continues to perpetuate cycles of inter-ethnic clashes.  The ongoing influx of Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees into the country’s northern states, among them Unity State, is further heightening inter-ethnic tensions over access to already scarce resources.

South Sudan has one of the youngest populations in the world. The vast majority of young adults are poorly educated and approximately 90% have no formal employment due to a lack of basic skills, leaving them without a reliable income (Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, 2024). The high unemployment rate, coupled with limited opportunities to develop skills, significantly limits people’s possibilities to create a sustainable livelihood, while exposure to violence and conflict has resulted in the displacement of large numbers of people, leaving many traumatised and in need of support and empowerment.

Children are among the most severely affected by the conflict and instability in South Sudan as they remain alarmingly susceptible to abuse, exploitation and recruitment. Furthermore, more than 2.8 million school-aged children (>70% of children) are out of school before they reach the age of 15, girls being the most affected. Thousands of out-of-school children, most of them boys, roam the streets in search of food and substances, many of them engaging in criminal and gang-related activity. Many have been kicked out of home and have moved alone from rural areas to the big cities in the hope of finding a better life, while others remain in impoverished families or single-parent households that cannot afford their education or basic necessities. These children are in dire need of child-friendly spaces and positive adult role models.