It's been five years since South Sudan gained independence and yet it remains in a state of turmoil.
Sexual abuse, death, displacement and widespread violence has kept the nation teetering on the brink of civil war.
A small but vocal turnout from Sydney's South Sudanese Dinka community led a unity rally in the Sydney CBD to condemn the crisis in their homeland
"We need help. We need every nation to help us in South Sudan,” Dinka member Augk Tong told SBS.
“We are brothers and sisters, long live South Sudan," he said.
The protest had long been in the pipeline, resulting only after months of meetings in a tiny room tucked behind a local library in Guildford, in Sydney's western suburbs.
Community leader Emmanuel Kondok believes Australia's South Sudanese people need to remain united.
South Sudanese community President Emmanuel Kondok (centre) said tribal hatred will not help anyone. Source: SBS News
"We cannot allow these events to undermine what we have achieved in Australia,” Mr Kondok said.
“Hatred is not taking us anywhere. But let's work on peace."
Dinka member Charles Wol said that the conflict has torn apart ethnic groups, of which there are 64. The bulk of the population however, is comprised mainly of the Dinka and Nuer people.
"Neur and Dinka are brothers. They are close friends, they were close brothers before,” Mr Wol told SBS.
“Unfortunately the politics went in between and break (sic) our friendship down with them. They thought that we are bad people to them and we didn't take them seriously," he said.
It is a tribal divide Dinka migrant Deng Athian has downplayed, saying communities are desperate to avoid any issues.
"We don't have any problem. We are the same ethnic group and we marry together and we live together,” he said.
“We don't have any problem."
Civil war erupted in South Sudan only two years after it gained independence in 2011.
A rift between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his former deputy Riek Machar - the former Dinka, the latter Nuer - led to an attempted military coup, and two years of fighting.
Tens of thousands were killed before a peace deal was signed last August, but that did nothing to quell the violence.
World Vision's National Director in South Sudan, Perry Mansfield, told SBS deadly clashes in the capital Juba last month has sparked fears of a second civil war.
South Sudan President Salva Kiir (right) shaking hands with former Vice-President Riek Machar (left). Source: AAP
"What we've watched is the situation erode over the last two-and-a-half, three years since the outbreak of hostilities,” Mr Mansfield explained.
“There is so much need here it's overwhelming."
South Sudan has a population of 12 million, and aid groups said half of that population require some form of humanitarian assistance.
The ongoing conflict has left 1.7 million people internally displaced. 840,000 have sought refuge abroad, and 60,000 have fled in the last three weeks alone.
Access to food and clean water are the biggest problems facing those left behind. There are also reports of the widespread rape of women and young girls, by soldiers and armed men, often as they search for water.
Despite a peace deal brokered in July, fighting continues in South Sudan. But in Australia, Charles Wol says communities are working hard to ensure they remain united.
"We are all together. We sit together every day, and we talk together. We are working together in unity and harmony (for) all these years," Mr Wol said.
SBS attempted to contact the Neur community in Australia, but no one was available for comment.
