Clashes in Jonglei state since the start of 2026 have displaced at least 250,000 people, mainly in the north and centre of the state, cutting families off from lifesaving care in areas already suffering some of the highest malnutrition rates in the country.
Deadly risks
“We are extremely concerned for women and children impacted by these violent clashes,” said UNICEF Country Representative Noala Skinner. “A malnourished child without treatment is 12 times more likely to die.”
Access for aid agencies remains severely constrained, with restrictions on river, road and air travel. Six counties in Jonglei are already at, or close to, running out of therapeutic food, while 17 health facilities nationwide have closed due to conflict.
UNICEF has also recorded 10 incidents of looting of health and nutrition supplies.
Despite the challenges, UNICEF said it is responding, delivering water purification equipment amid cholera concerns and sending malaria treatments, emergency health kits and therapeutic food to reach more than 10,000 people.
UNICEF condemns killing and injury of children in Balochistan attacks
UNICEF has expressed grave concern over reports that children were among those killed and injured during a wave of violent attacks in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan last weekend.
“Children cannot be targets nor collateral damage, and their lives must always be protected,” said UNICEF Representative in Pakistan Pernille Ironside, extending condolences to the families and communities affected.
She warned that the escalation of violence is spreading fear, with children and families “bearing the heaviest burden”.
The attacks, which took place on 31 January, were also strongly condemned by the UN Security Council.
In a press statement released on Tuesday, Council members described the incidents as “heinous and cowardly” acts of terrorism that left 48 people dead, including 31 civilians.
Council expresses ‘deepest sympathy’
Civilian casualties reportedly included five women and three children. The so-called Balochistan Liberation Army separatist group has claimed responsibility.
A senior local official told reporters that 145 members of the banned group had subsequently been killed by security forces.
The Council expressed its deepest sympathy to the victims’ families and to the Government and people of Pakistan, wishing the injured a full recovery.
Global summit backs stronger protection for submarine cables
Governments and industry leaders from more than 70 countries have reaffirmed the need to protect submarine cables that carry the vast majority of the world’s digital traffic.
Meeting in Porto, Portugal, at the International Submarine Cable Resilience Summit 2026, participants adopted a declaration and recommendations aimed at strengthening cooperation to safeguard the global network of around 500 cables stretching more than 1.7 million kilometres.
Read our explainer on the summit and what’s at stake, here.
“When it comes to critical digital infrastructure like submarine cables, resilience is both an end-to-end imperative and a shared responsibility,” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin, welcoming commitments to improve repair times, readiness and investment.
‘Meaningful impact’
The summit highlighted the importance of protecting connectivity for remote and underserved regions, which are particularly vulnerable to cable disruptions.
“I firmly believe [the advisory body] is already delivering concrete and meaningful impact,” said ANACOM Chairwoman Prof. Sandra Maximiano, noting the risks faced by countries and island communities with limited capacity to respond to outages.
The Porto meeting followed the inaugural summit in Abuja, Nigeria, as momentum builds for global action to protect what many experts see as the backbone of the digital economy.
