South Sudan records 507 suicides in eight months, CEPO warns of more

South Sudan recorded 507 suicide cases between January and August 2025, according to a report by the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) Central Equatoria State recorded the highest deaths with 301 cases. Among them were 109 men, including 19 youths, and 192 women, including 83 housewives and 53 girls forced into early marriages. The number doubled compared to the same period last year, rising from 21 percent to 43 percent. Upper Nile State recorded 15 percent of the cases, up from 10 percent last year, while Eastern Equatoria, Western Equatoria, Western Bahr el Ghazal, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and Lakes States each recorded around 10 percent, making a steady increase from the previous year. Jonglei State, by contrast, saw a decline from 15 percent to 9 percent, a trend CEPO attributes to improved family incomes through increased participation in the fishing industry. The triggers of suicides that CEPO was able to document are pressuring economic situation, unemployment, drug abuse, forced and early marriages, and insecurity.”