(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
Since last December alone more than 10 thousand people have been killed in fresh fighting and aid agencies say the country is now edging towards a full-scale famine.
Fighting erupted in South Sudan last December after months of tensions sparked by President Salva Kiir's decision to fire longtime rival Riek Machar from the deputy president's position.
Greg Dyett reports.
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In 2011, Nyadol Nyuon was among the many South Sudanese who felt optimistic when her country achieved independence from Sudan.
But she says little has changed for the better since then.
"I don't think a lot really changed for the average South Sudanese except, I suppose a sense of having a nation or having a country, the place you can call home. But in terms of you know rights or a sense of protection or investment in education or infrastructure or health that has been so poorly done that in the rural areas most of the basic services have been provided by international aid organisations."
Nyadol Nyuon is now studying law at the University of Melbourne.
"It's really been a bad experience on so many levels. Many people have lost their lives, tremendously heartbreaking stuff. You know the kind of things that if you are distant from it they are quite hard to enjoy day to day stuff because you're realising how much someone else is missing out on. And I think the sense of hoplessness as well that it creates you cannot really see a swift end to this."
The fighting has seen thousands of people seeking refuge in a United Nations camp set up to protect civilians in Bentiu.
Among them is Jim, who's told Al Jazeera, thousands have entered the camp in the past few weeks looking for food, shelter and a safe haven.
"Yeah, people are still coming here because everybody is coming to look for protection. Yeah, because of this war outside that is why civilian are coming."
One of the aid agencies trying to make a difference is World Vision.
Its chief executive Tim Costello says ending decades of conflict and creating a peaceful future for South Sudan was always going to be a hard ask.
"I think we were all a little naive. We believed that once the Christian south was separated from (Sudan's) President Al Bashar and the much more, some would say cruel Muslim north and that president who as we know is wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal that the south would suddenly set free and independent, be able to govern in a way that was notwithstanding the difficulties at least peaceful. So this tragic fight within really just the ruling party and some would say a fight just over oil and aid and self-indulgence is terribly tragic."
Mr Costello says aid agencies are being overwhelmed and the rainy season is making the task that much harder because many access roads are now impassable due to the muddy conditions.
It's forced World Vision to do costly airdrops of vital supplies.
Mr Costello says a sustainable ceasefire is one of the things that needs to happen and he can see a role for the Australian government.
"Our Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, as we know, actually sits on the Security Council so the diplomatic and political strengthening of our government's arm and raising our voice about this is important. I might say the 40 thousand South Sudanese who live here in Australia are grieving terribly and we're working with them."
