SSFDA Civilian Protection Guide (May 2025)

Practical survival guidance for villagers under attack by SSPDF, UPDF, and RSF forces

"Being prepared is not weakness. It is strength. It is wisdom. It is life."
SSFDA Civilian Affairs Unit

️ OVERVIEW

South Sudanese civilians in conflict zones face brutal, indiscriminate violence by the SSPDF, Uganda’s UPDF, and Sudan’s RSF mercenaries. Entire communities are bombed, burned, or displaced with no warning. Many attacks now involve drones, helicopters, and troops with night vision.

This guide offers life-saving tips for:

  • Preparing your village for attack

  • Hiding from drones and thermal imaging

  • Avoiding harm from snakes and swamp dangers

  • Protecting children and elders

  • Behaving safely when confronted by enemy troops

  • Defending the village's most precious resource: cattle

🔁 PREPARE YOUR VILLAGE – EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS

  1. Assign lookouts on high ground or treetops—watch for vehicles, aircraft, or foot patrols.

  2. Use signals everyone understands:

    • 2 drum beats = air threat

    • 3 drum beats = enemy soldiers
      Or just whistle load, bang on metal to make sounds.

  3. Messenger network: Use bikes or runners to alert neighboring villages.

  4. Hide essential supplies (food, medicine, water) in multiple secret locations.

  5. You might want to organize youth to watch out at night. 2 people awake for 4 hours, then 2 new throughout the night.

🛩️ DRONES, HELICOPTERS, AND AIRCRAFT: SPOTTING & SURVIVING

Drones

  • Sound like loud bees or buzzing.

  • Fly low, hover or circle to observe and target.

  • Drones first come and check area out, recording what they see, then later on helicopters might arrive to attack. Maybe directly, maybe later on at night.

Helicopters & Aircraft

  • Loud, fast-moving. May drop bombs, fire rockets, or shoot from above.

  • You can not bring a helicopter down with light weapons, instead they will attack you.

What to do:

  • Stay under trees or inside thick bush.

  • Lie flat if attack begins—avoid running in open fields.

  • Cover shiny objects (roofing, tools).

  • Do not gather in groups—spread out to reduce casualties.

🌒 HIDING FROM NIGHT VISION & THERMAL IMAGING

Understanding the threat:

  • Night vision sees with low light (moonlight, starlight).

  • Thermal imaging detects body heat—even in total darkness. They can detect fireplaces so stay clear of them at night

How to hide:

  • Avoid metal-roof buildings and vehicles—they trap heat.

  • Dig shallow holes, lie flat, and cover with wet leaves, canvas, or earth.

  • Move after midnight, when your body is cooler.

  • Wrap children in damp blankets and hide them under foliage.

  • Do not light fires, use torches, or phones at night.

🧱 MAKE DEFENSIVE PLANS

  • Dig escape holes in forests or bushy areas.

  • Prepare camouflage sheets (mud, vegetation).

  • Mark escape routes known only to trusted villagers.

  • Use false trails to confuse pursuers.

👧🏾 PROTECTING CHILDREN & VULNERABLE PEOPLE

  • Assign pre-agreed hiding spots for every child.

  • Train them to stay quiet and still under pressure.

  • Pack emergency kits: food, water, ID, cloth.

  • Keep them away from roads and open fields.

🪖 DEALING WITH ENEMY TROOPS

  • Do not run unless unseen and sure of escape.

  • If approached:

    • Stay calm. Do not argue.

    • Speak softly, avoid eye contact.

    • Say you're a farmer or shepherd. Say little.

  • Women and girls: wear plain clothes, move with trusted elders.

  • Never reveal hidden supplies or the location of fleeing civilians.

🐍 NATURAL HAZARDS – SNAKES, SWAMPS, INSECTS

In tall grass or swamps:

  • Wear boots or wrap legs in cloth/plastic.

  • Use sticks to test ground ahead of you.

  • Don’t sleep on bare ground—use leaves or cloth barrier.

Snakes

  • Hide near logs, rocks, water. be very careful

  • If bitten: tie cloth above bite, stay still, and seek help.

  • Do not cut or suck the wound.

Swamps

  • Move slowly, avoid loud splashing.

  • Dry feet afterward to avoid infection.

  • Avoid sleeping near still water.

Insects & Scorpions

  • Shake clothes before wearing.

  • Use ashes, charcoal dust, or mud on skin to repel insects.

  • Avoid termite mounds and rotting logs.

🐄 PROTECTING CATTLE DURING WAR

🎯 Why cattle are a target:

  • Armed forces loot livestock for meat or resale.

  • Herds are easily spotted by air, and may draw drone or helicopter attention.

  • Cattle raids can spark tribal retaliation and chaos.

How to protect them:

1. Disperse the herd

  • Split into 2–3 groups in separate locations.

  • Hide in forest patches, dry gullies, or behind hills.

  • Rotate grazing areas and avoid predictable movement patterns.

2. Avoid clearings and riverbanks

  • Drones spot cattle more easily on open ground.

  • Move cattle early morning or late afternoon, not at night.

3. Train herders to be alert

  • Young herders should watch the sky.

  • If engines are heard, lie down under trees.

  • Remove shiny bells or metal tools.

4. Emergency dispersal plan

  • If an attack comes, release cattle to scatter into the bush.

  • Do not risk your life to defend livestock during a raid.

5. Mark cattle discreetly

Use hidden symbols (burn marks or herbal dye) to identify and reclaim cattle later.

🕊️ STRENGTH IN SPIRIT

  • Listen to your elders. They carry the memory of past wars and the wisdom to survive them.

  • Support one another: carry the children, guide the blind, share food, stay united.

  • Talk to each other, maybe pray together, keep morale up.

  • Remember: You are not forgotten. Help will come.

  • SSFDA is watching. We are organizing. We are building a future of justice and dignity.

✊🏽 Surviving is resistance. Protecting your people is strength. Hiding is not fear—it is wisdom until the day of justice arrives.

📢 FINAL WORD

If you are reading this, share it with others. Print it. Speak it. Whisper it if you must. But spread it. Every life matters. Every second counts.

You are not forgotten

Issued by:

South Sudan Federal Democratic Alliance (SSFDA)
Civilian Protection & War Crimes Monitoring Desk
📍 May 2025
🔗 www.ssfda.org

#SSFDA #KalasKiir #CivilianProtection #StopTheWar #SouthSudanResists