The usually quiet church compound in Mundri has turned in a bustling hub of activity with more than 4,000 people crowded together in makeshift shelters.

These families have sought sanctuary at the site after being forced to abandon their homes and flee for their lives during military confrontations between armed forces in Greater Mundri a few months ago.

Thirty-eight-year-old Aida Stephen is among those struggling to support her family in dire conditions.

Her youngest child clings to her side, traumatized by the experience, as she explains the challenges they face.

“It is very difficult to survive. We must hustle to fetch water and collect firewood. We are working for the host community harvesting cassava just to feed our children,” she says.

“Our shelters are damaged and collapse when it’s raining. We don’t know what to do. We don’t know whether peace will come or not.”

For many families, reaching Mundri in the eastern part of Western Equatoria meant walking for days.

“It took us seven days to get here because our children were struggling to travel such a long distance. We faced a lot of hardship and were lucky to reach here without anything bad happening to us,” explained Elizabeth Joy.

Peacekeepers from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) have visited the site, meeting displaced families and local leaders to assess urgent needs and encourage dialogue to prevent further violence.

“During our interaction, we identified many protection concerns,” said Thomas Bazawi, UNMISS Protection, Transition and Reintegration Officer. “We are also engaging with authorities, including the County Commissioner, to try and organize a peace dialogue to improve security and create the conditions so that people can safely return home.”

While these efforts are underway, the families remain in limbo. They are not alone in this struggle which is familiar to hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese across the country who are caught in the catastrophic crossfire of persistent violence and victims of the political failure to secure peace.