Only a few years ago, there was reason to feel cautiously optimistic about the fate of the world’s newest state, South Sudan. The picture looks very different now.

Despite the signing of a peace agreement in August 2015, the conflict has spread across the entire country, with the speed and scale of devastation shocking most observers. Since December 2013, 1.9 million people have been displaced within South Sudan and another 1.3 million to neighbouring countries, while 4.8 million people are food insecure. The UN Mission has been unable to safeguard civilians, especially women and girls, from violence, and South Sudan has become one of the most dangerous places in the world to be an aid worker.

South Sudan is once again at a crossroads.

This event explores the current humanitarian and development challenges in South Sudan, drawing on the latest issue of the Humanitarian Exchange Magazine. Why did the country fail to avoid this escalation of violence and instability? What options are available to the international community? And what must be done in the short term to protect those affected by the conflict?