Over 200,000 missing persons registered in 2024, says Red Cross

This report was declared on Friday as the families of missing persons, humanitarian organizations and government representatives gathered in Juba to mark the International Day of the Disappeared

By Anak Dut

Over 284,000 missing persons were registered by the end of 2024 in South Sudan, including 94,168 new cases reported in that year alone, the Red Cross Family Links Network has confirmed.

Meanwhile, over 16,000 people were located and 7,200 were reunited with their families in 2024.

However, the humanitarian workers have cautioned that the true number of missing persons is far higher, as many cases go unreported due to fear, stigma, or the disappearance of entire families.

This report was declared on Friday as the families of missing persons, humanitarian organizations and government representatives gathered in Juba to mark the International Day of the Disappeared. It is a solemn occasion observed worldwide on 30 August to honor those who have vanished due to conflict, migration, violence or disaster. The event was held under the theme “Missing, but not Forgotten.”

Worldwide, the plight of missing persons remains a pressing humanitarian concern.

Globally, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement helps families reconnect every single day, enabling four family calls every minute, clarifying two missing person cases every hour, and reuniting 20 people with their loved ones daily.

In South Sudan, the world’s youngest nation, more than two million people remain uprooted inside and outside the country.

As of June 2025, the ICRC and SSRC had been handling over 6,000 open cases of missing persons linked to years of conflict, migration and natural disasters. In the first half of this year, 124 cases were clarified, offering long-awaited answers to families who had lived for years in painful uncertainty.

Speaking at the commemoration, Florence Gillette, the Head of Delegation of the ICRC in South Sudan, reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to the thousands of families still searching for answers.

“Your loved ones are missing, but they are not forgotten and you are not alone,” she said, stressing that the anguish of families is not only emotional but also compounded by legal, financial and administrative challenges.

“Every unresolved disappearance is a wound that weakens our communities and stalls national healing. Families have the right to know the fate of their loved ones and they must remain at the center of our response,” said Ms. Gillette.

In recent months, families of the missing persons in South Sudan have expressed the will to establish a Family of Missing Persons’ Association, a collective and independent voice to demand truth, recognition and long-term support.

 Humanitarian agencies say such initiatives are vital for building resilience, restoring dignity and ensuring that families are no longer left alone in their struggle.

Mr. John Lobor of the SSRC emphasized the importance of solidarity

 “This day is not only about remembrance but also about shared responsibility. We must walk with families of the missing, listen to them, and act with persistence and determination.”

Participants agreed that how South Sudan addresses the plight of the missing will define its path toward healing and reconciliation, while beyond numbers and statistics, every missing person represents a life suspended in uncertainty and a family torn apart.

“Conflict wounds endure, especially when fates remain unknown. That is why our collective efforts must continue not just to reunite families, but to restore trust, rebuild communities, and prevent further disappearances,” Ms. Gillette concluded.

As the International Day of the Disappeared is marked across the globe, families in South Sudan and beyond hold onto hope that truth will one day replace silence and that love will continue to keep the missing alive in memory, until answers come.

Hirman Sebit, a 75-year-old, tells a story of his brother’s lost son, James Benjamin El Kima, who went missing in the 2013 to 2024 conflict that happened in Malakal. The lost brother was a soldier working with the Tiger Division

He said the family has since been visiting the barracks to check on the names of the dead.