South Sudan Faces Food Aid Crisis for Refugees

South Sudan is experiencing one of the world's worst hunger crises, with over 7.8 million people, more than half the population, facing acute food insecurity, and 2.2 million children acutely malnourished. The World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) report that approximately 3,000 refugees and returnees arrive weekly from Sudan, where ongoing conflict has created significant displacement.

The last food distributions for the most vulnerable 240,000 refugees are expected in September unless $37 million in urgent funding is secured. Currently, food assistance has been reduced to half-rations due to funding constraints.

WFP Deputy Country Director Adham Effendi stated that from October, food assistance for about 180,000 internally displaced people will end, and 600,000 people in famine-risk areas could lose life-saving support by November. UNHCR Deputy Representative Mesfin Degefu noted that only 28% of the required $286 million for operations in South Sudan has been received, jeopardizing programs aimed at helping refugees achieve self-reliance.