ICRC Evacuates 266 Wounded Patients in South Sudan Surge

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) evacuated 266 wounded patients across South Sudan during the first half of 2026, a more than 50 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025. The surge follows renewed fighting and escalating violence since late 2025, which has displaced thousands of families and strained existing trauma services.

Most patients are transported by air to the Juba Military Hospital, where surgical volume increased by nearly 30 percent in the first half of the year. This influx has pushed the facility to over 100 percent capacity. The ICRC identifies climate-related shocks and refugees from neighboring Sudan as additional factors exacerbating humanitarian needs.

Rose Ochieng, the ICRC health coordinator in South Sudan, noted that service provision at all levels of health-care is reduced, causing significant strain at hospital levels. She stated that this situation is further complicated by a decrease in available funding. The organization is calling on all conflicting parties to protect medical facilities and ensure unimpeded access for the evacuation of the wounded.