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UN PhotoSOUTH SUDAN / UDIER PATROL
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / UNMISS PATROL TO UDIER
TRT: 03:14
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NUER / NATS
DATELINE: 21 JULY 2026, UDIER, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, burned tukuls (houses) in Udier village
2. Wide shot, women lining for food distribution
3. Wide shot, women and children under tree
4. Various shots, women and children under tree
5. SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Thabitha Nyitapo, Women’s Leader in Udier:
“We lost people in the bushes and later returned to find nothing but devastation; our homes were deliberately burned down by fire. We face a situation in which the entire community draws water from a single borehole; other basic needs are unavailable. The same applies to nearby villages. Twenty individuals share a single room to sleep in and stay protected during the rain.”
6. Various shots, UN choppers in Udier airstrip
7. Various shots, people waiting for food distribution
8. SOUNDBITE (English) William Jial, UNMISS Civil Affairs Officer:
“We are dealing with a community that is comprised of people who have different political views, some are sympathetic to the Government, and some are sympathetic to the opposition. Our major goal as Civil Affairs, or UNMISS as whole, is to ensure that these communities, regardless of their political division, coexist peacefully. That is our major goal.”
9. Various shots, UNMISS staff meeting with authorities in Udier
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Wochan Wuordol, Commissioner of Udier:
“We have no school now, like I mentioned before, that everything was looted and hospital beds were looted, the schools’ materials, including chairs, were looted, everything was looted, there is nothing here now.”
11. Wide shot, distribution of UNMISS promotional materials
In the wake of intense clashes between government and opposition armed groups, communities in villages across eastern Upper Nile are struggling to recover. Many were forced to flee into the bush during the fighting, losing loved ones, their homes, and livelihoods.
The village of Udier is home to more than 36,000 people displaced by the violence and others cautiously returning to the area as calm is restored. They are facing a fresh challenge: how to survive without adequate shelter or access to food, clean water, healthcare, education and incomes.
Thabitha Nyitapo, Women’s Leader in Udier, said, “We lost people in the bushes and later returned to find nothing but devastation; our homes were deliberately burned down by fire. We face a situation in which the entire community draws water from a single borehole; other basic needs are unavailable. The same applies to nearby villages. Twenty individuals share a single room to sleep in and stay protected during the rain.”
Protecting civilians and facilitating the safe delivery of humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable remains a top priority for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan. During a patrol to the area, a team of peacekeepers assessed the security situation and engaged with local authorities and communities to understand their concerns and find shared solutions.
William Jial, UNMISS Civil Affairs Officer, said, “We are dealing with a community that is comprised of people who have different political views, some are sympathetic to the Government, and some are sympathetic to the opposition. Our major goal as Civil Affairs, or UNMISS as a whole, is to ensure that these communities regardless of their political division, coexist peacefully. That is our major goal.”
The conflict decimated the already limited infrastructure in the area with homes, schools, and health facilities looted and destroyed. This has forced families to rely on subsistence farming and humanitarian aid for survival.
Wochan Wuordol, Commissioner of Udier, said: “We have no school now, like I mentioned before, that everything was looted and hospital beds were looted, the schools’ materials, including chairs, were looted, everything was looted, there is nothing here now.”
Strengthening civilian protection and restoring basic services will be essential to helping these displaced families, recover, rebuild, and live safely and with dignity.
