South Sudan travel guide

Crime

The security situation across South Sudan remains volatile. Weapons are plentiful and easily obtained in South Sudan and criminals are often armed. Many armed men who are without jobs or have not been paid are resorting to criminality. Drive-by thefts by individuals or groups on motorbikes have been reported.

South Sudan is one of the most dangerous countries in the world for aid workers; at least 112 have been killed since the conflict began in 2013, with 15 in 2018. There have been other violent incidents including intimidation, arbitrary detentions and kidnappings, although these have mostly affected South Sudanese or regional nationals. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office advise against all travel to South Sudan, however if you decide to travel, you should make sure you have carefully considered the threat and have reasonable, proportionate mitigation measures in place.

Local travel

During the rainy season (April to October/November) most roads outside of Juba become impassable, and some parts of the country can become inaccessible.

Levels of intercommunal violence remain high across the country and there are sporadic reports of fighting between armed groups in certain areas. Criminal attacks have taken place on the main Juba-Nimule road, which is one of the main supply routes from Uganda into South Sudan. There are reports of mines and unexploded ordnance in parts of the country.

If you’re currently in South Sudan you should exercise your own judgment, based on your knowledge of the local situation, media reporting, or advice from the UN. Our advice is that you should leave South Sudan immediately if it’s safe to do so.

Our ability to provide assistance outside Juba is severely limited. If you’re concerned about your safety, you should contact the FCO on +44 207 008 1500 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Road travel

Driving conditions and standards in South Sudan are well below those in the UK and other European countries. Very few roads are surfaced and maintained, particularly outside Juba. Residential areas usually have dirt roads. At night, there is almost no street lighting and many vehicles have no lights. Roads are used by pedestrians, donkey-carts and rickshaw-style cabs, as well as motor vehicles. Checkpoints, manned by armed men, are common around Juba, especially after dark. There are regular reports of money being demanded from drivers, and of people (especially women) being physically abused at these checkpoints.

The use of public transport should be avoided, due to the unsafe condition of vehicles, the regular occurrence of road traffic accidents (particularly on the Juba-Nimule road), and the high risk of robbery or assault on foreign nationals.

Although drivers should have a licence and insurance, many don’t have these. Make sure you have adequate insurance.

Air travel

You can find a list of incidents and accidents on the website of the Aviation Safety network^[1]. An internal flight by a South Sudanese airline crashed in March 2017, although there were no fatalities.

The FCO can’t offer advice on the safety of every individual airline, but the International Air Transport Association publishes a list of registered airlines^[2] that have been audited and found to meet a number of operational safety standards and recommended practices.

This list isn’t exhaustive and the absence of an airline from this list doesn’t necessarily mean that it is unsafe.

Political situation

Following the July 2016 crisis, when fighting broke out and the First Vice President was forced to flee the country, the political and security situation has remained volatile. A peace agreement was signed in September 2018, which has led to an overall reduction in levels of violence between armed groups, although interlinked national and local level conflicts continue to drive a dire humanitarian situation across the country.

If you choose to remain in the country, you should follow political developments closely, and observe any curfews in place. In the event of civil disorder, stay at home and restrict your movements as much as possible, especially after dark. Avoid public gatherings, political rallies and protests.

There are credible reports of border incursions and engagements involving armed actors along all of South Sudan’s frontiers, and you should exercise extreme caution in the country’s border areas. A US journalist was killed in August 2017 near the town of Kaya close to the Ugandan border during a gunfight between government forces and armed rebels.

Economic situation

The economy remains in decline, which has led armed men to turn to criminality, including in Juba. Extortion at checkpoints by armed men, particularly after dark, is common. South Sudan is an extremely difficult environment for businesses and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to operate in. There are regular reports of foreign nationals being subject to harassment and crime, including sexual assault.

References

1. ^{^} Aviation Safety network (aviation-safety.net)
2. ^{^} list of registered airlines (www.iata.org)