More than one million vulnerable people in South Sudan face the immediate threat of losing critical food support, according to a warning issued on Tuesday by the World Food Programme (WFP).
The United Nations agency cited a dangerous combination of ongoing internal conflict, mass displacement, severe climate disruptions, and the spillover effects of the neighboring war in Sudan. These compounding crises are being severely compounded by sharp reductions in international humanitarian funding.
“7.8 million people today, more than half the country’s population, struggle to find food each day. 2.2 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers require urgent nutrition support,” Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Assistant Executive Director for Operations, said at a press conference in Geneva.
“Unless additional resources are secured, more than a million vulnerable people could lose access to life-saving food and nutrition assistance by October. So this is looming.”
To sustain operations, the agency urgently needs $86 million immediately and requires over $400 million to bridge its operational deficit over the coming six months.
This funding shortfall coincides with the peak of the local rainy season, a period marked by worsening food shortages, rising market prices, and flooded transport routes that severely restrict relief distribution. In response to the crisis, affected households are increasingly relying on coping mechanisms such as skipping meals, selling personal belongings, and reducing spending on health, shelter, and education.
“While South Sudan is a country that has faced many challenges in its short life as an independent nation, we are seeing something different now,” Hollingworth said. “We are about to drop off a financial cliff at a time when the needs are at the greatest level that they’ve been at for the past 13, 14 years.”
While maintaining that emergency food supplies are critical to prevent widespread catastrophe, the relief agency emphasized that aid should function as a stepping stone toward sustainable recovery. The organization also urged the South Sudanese government to step up and allocate national financial resources to support its own citizens.
