As South Sudan marks the first anniversary of its independence on July 9, MSF teams are struggling to save lives in one of the most complicated and challenging refugee crises in its history. Having arrived with stories of violence, some 100,000 Sudanese refugees, many of them ill, have sought sanctuary in camps in Upper Nile State with inadequate resources and harsh living conditions.

Here, we take a look at the year that led up to this emergency.

Photo: South Sudan © Shannon Jensen