Overview

• Over 30 South Sudanese aid workers have been abducted in 2025, more than double all of last year, according to senior humanitarian officials.
• James Unguba, seized in Tambura, Western Equatoria, died in captivity on Sept. 3, with witnesses reporting abductors wore army uniforms and the military saying it has no information.
• Doctors Without Borders suspended operations in two counties in July after two staff kidnappings near Yei, disrupting care across remote communities along the borders with Uganda, Congo, and the Central African Republic.
• Several hostages were freed after ransom payments arranged through intermediaries, despite U.N. and aid-agency policies against paying ransoms, sources involved in negotiations said.
• Responsibility for the abductions remains unclear as clashes between the national army and opposition factions escalate, with analysts citing profit-seeking militias and succession tensions, while donors signal funding cuts.