The revelations come at a worrying time. UN officials say up to 5,000 more people may be headed toward the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Malakal, fleeing violence that has killed as many as 300 people, some of whom drowned in a river as they tried to escape the fighting.

Camp residents say they fear the new violence could seep into the UN camp – recent clashes between ethnic Shilluk and Nuer in the camp have already flared. If the camp becomes more crowded, residents worry there may be more cases of sexual abuse and exploitation, which they say has gone largely unchecked despite a UN-led task force charged with tackling the problem.

Accounts of abuse began trickling in shortly after the camp opened in late 2013, but the scale of abuse has grown, according to aid workers, camp residents, and victims interviewed by The New Humanitarian and Al Jazeera, as well as analysis of UN and NGO documents.

One woman said she became pregnant in 2019 by a local World Food Programme (WFP) worker. Although the relationship was consensual, most aid groups, including WFP, ban sexual relationships between aid workers and beneficiaries because of the stark power imbalances. The woman told reporters in December 2021 she was so worried about the continuing sexual abuse that she was putting her eldest daughter, now 15, on birth control.

Another woman said she was 15 when a local World Vision worker raped and impregnated her. Fearful of her future, she said she tried to hang herself before deciding to leave the camp in an attempt to build a better life.

World Vision said it was opening an immediate investigation into the woman’s case, while WFP said it could not comment on specific cases.

These women’s allegations tally with those of other camp residents – testimonies that were detailed in a UN Population Fund (UNFPA) report sent to humanitarian agencies on 5 October 2020 and shared with The New Humanitarian and Al Jazeera by an aid worker who asked to remain anonymous due to fear of reprisals.

In the report, residents said sexual exploitation, mostly perpetrated by humanitarian workers, was being experienced “on a daily basis”; UN and NGO workers were renting houses in the camp to have sex with women; and UN peacekeepers were paying bribes to gain access to women. Camp residents also said three girls had been raped and impregnated by a teacher in 2018 – some schools in the camp are supported by UN agencies and NGOs.

Further accounts of abuse continued for at least 18 months after the release of the report. “I received with greatest alarm information on the increased incidents of sexual abuse and exploitation in Malakal Protection of Civilians site,” Sara Beysolow Nyanti, deputy head of South Sudan’s UN peacekeeping mission, stated in a March 21 letter sent to some 17 aid organisations working in the camp, as well as camp coordination groups. A copy of the letter, which was not made public, was obtained by The New Humanitarian and Al Jazeera.