The total number of victims—1,607—marks an 86 percent increase compared to the last quarter of 2024, making it the highest toll in any three-month period since 2020

By Anak Dut

Where have all the people gone?
Gone to graveyards every one.
Oh, when will the world ever learn?
Oh, when will the world ever learn?

These haunting lyrics from Pete Seeger’s timeless protest song, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”, echo with painful clarity across South Sudan, where the United Nations Mission (UNMISS) has reported one of the deadliest quarters in recent years. Between January and March 2025, 739 civilians were killed, 679 injured, 149 abducted, and 40 subjected to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV).

The total number of victims—1,607—marks an 86 percent increase compared to the last quarter of 2024, making it the highest toll in any three-month period since 2020. The statistics represent far more than just numbers—they are shattered lives, grieving families, stolen childhoods, and deepening wounds in an already fragile nation.

Warrap State bore the brunt of the violence, with 428 deaths and 298 injuries, while Central Equatoria experienced a staggering 260 percent increase in victims, along with the highest number of abductions. The violence spared no age or gender. Child victims rose from 114 to 171, while women and girls—already vulnerable—constituted 98 percent of all CRSV cases, enduring unspeakable trauma.

The vast majority of these atrocities—66 percent—were committed by community-based militias. Another 22 percent were carried out by unidentified armed groups taking advantage of impunity and instability. Alarmingly, conventional parties to the armed conflict and organized armed groups were responsible for 15 percent of the casualties—a 27 percent rise from the previous quarter.

“These are not just acts of violence,” said Guang Cong, Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General, UNMISS. “They are violations of international humanitarian law and human dignity. It is the primary responsibility of the Government to protect civilians and prevent conflicts which continue to cause immense harm to communities across the country.”

UNMISS called for urgent, coordinated action at national, state, and local levels to address the underlying grievances, resolve disputes through dialogue, and hold perpetrators accountable. The mission reiterated its commitment to protect civilians through peacekeeping patrols by land, air, and river, and by supporting mobile courts, reconciliation efforts, and the strengthening of the rule of law.

Yet despite these efforts, the cycle seems unbroken.

Where have all the graveyards gone?
Gone to flowers every one.
Oh, when will we ever learn?
Oh, when will we ever learn?

South Sudan, a land rich with potential and resilience, continues to bury its future in shallow graves. The cries of the bereaved echo across villages, towns, and states. The question remains: how many more must die before the lessons of peace, justice, and human dignity are truly learned?

It is time—time for political leaders, faith leaders, civil society, and every citizen to rise above silence and division. Time to reject impunity. Time to listen deeply to the pain of the people and respond not with vengeance, but with vision. Peace cannot be negotiated at gunpoint; it must be planted like a seed, nurtured through justice, watered by truth, and protected by accountability.

Let the graves stop multiplying. Let the children grow up without fear. Let us be the generation that finally learns—and chooses life.