Gunfire has been ringing out in eastern South Sudan in recent weeks, sending villagers fleeing into the bush, fearing for their lives.

The fighting, which broke out in mid-June, has left hundreds dead or wounded, the latest in a decade-old conflict in the world’s newest state. When Times Select was hosted in the country for a week in February and early March, many citizens spoke of an “uneasy peace” since the formation of a unity government and a tensely brokered peace agreement. Clearly, after about two years of relative peace, that peace has been shattered.

The recent violence also saw crucial international aid organisations, including Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF or Doctors Without Borders) and the International Committee of the Red Cross, pull out of Pibor and no longer able to treat those injured in the violence or those with non-conflict medical needs...