A vital mental health clinic in Mundri, Western Equatoria state, is at risk of shutting down as international funding is set to expire, leaving thousands without critical psychological care in one of the world’s most fragile nations.
The facility, part of a program launched in late 2022, was one of only eight sites established to provide mental health services to more than 20,000 people in South Sudan—a country grappling with the aftermath of prolonged conflict, widespread trauma, and one of the highest suicide rates globally.
A Nation in Crisis
South Sudan, still recovering from years of civil war, has seen entire communities suffer from severe psychological distress.
“People lost their properties, their loved ones were killed in front of them,” said a local health worker. “These experiences have left many traumatized and depressed.”
Backed by Italian and Greek donors, the Mundri clinic has been a lifeline in a country where mental health care is nearly absent from the government-run health system. South Sudan relies heavily on foreign aid to sustain its health sector, leaving psychological services severely underfunded.
Alarming Suicide Rates
The World Health Organization (WHO) ranks South Sudan as having the fourth-highest suicide rate in Africa and the third-highest worldwide. Last month, authorities in the capital, Juba, reported 12 suicides in just one week, sparking public outcry. No further details were released about the cases, but experts link the crisis to chronic stress, displacement, poverty, and violence.
“Stress is a major problem, but we often don’t recognize it,” said a health worker at the clinic. “It can start as stress, then lead to depression and worse.”
A Call for Sustained Support
Mental health professionals warn that without continued care, patients risk relapse. “Mental illness is chronic—people recover, but if services disappear, they can deteriorate again,” said a clinician.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) notes that suicide disproportionately affects internally displaced people, who face extreme hardship, armed conflict, and gender-based violence.
As funding nears its end, advocates urge donors and the South Sudanese government to step in before more lives are lost. Without intervention, the closure of the Mundri clinic could leave thousands without access to the mental health care they desperately need.
