WFP Warns Two Million South Sudanese Could Lose Food Aid As Funding Runs Out

The World Food Programme has warned that up to two million people in South Sudan could lose food assistance in the coming weeks because of severe funding shortages. About 7.8 million people, roughly half the population, are already struggling to get enough food, while millions of children and pregnant and breastfeeding women urgently need nutritional support. The WFP needs $86 million immediately and $416 million over the next six months to maintain its operations. The crisis has been worsened by years of conflict, the influx of more than one million refugees from neighbouring Sudan, economic difficulties and climate-related pressures.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that it may be forced to stop providing food assistance to up to two million people in South Sudan in the coming weeks because of a severe funding shortage.
The UN agency said its resources are running dangerously low at a time when hunger is affecting millions of people across the country.
WFP Assistant Executive Director Matthew Hollingworth said about 7.8 million people, roughly half of South Sudan’s population, are struggling to obtain enough food each day.
The agency currently provides daily assistance to around three million people, but that number could fall to just one million by the end of the month unless it receives a significant increase in funding.

WFP NEEDS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS

Hollingworth said the WFP urgently needs $86 million to maintain its immediate operations.
A further $416 million is required over the next six months to continue providing food and nutrition assistance to vulnerable communities.
Without the money, millions of people who depend on humanitarian food supplies could face increasingly severe shortages.
Hollingworth described the situation as a “financial cliff”, warning that humanitarian needs are reaching their highest level in more than a decade while available funding continues to decline.

FOOD STOCKS HAVE FALLEN SHARPLY

The impact of the funding crisis can already be seen in WFP warehouses.
In Malakal, one of the major humanitarian centres in South Sudan, WFP warehouses held about 10,000 tonnes of food a year ago.
Today, the agency says less than 300 tonnes remain.
The dramatic reduction means humanitarian organisations have far less capacity to respond if food shortages worsen or emergencies develop in communities already facing hunger.

CHILDREN AND PREGNANT WOMEN AMONG THOSE AT RISK

Children and women are among the most vulnerable groups facing the consequences of the funding shortage.
The WFP estimates that about 2.2 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women urgently need nutritional support.
These groups require adequate food not only to survive but also to prevent severe malnutrition and long-term health complications.
The agency warned that more than one million vulnerable people could lose access to life-saving food and nutrition assistance by October if additional resources are not secured.

SOUTH SUDAN ALREADY FACES WIDESPREAD HUNGER

South Sudan has struggled with food insecurity for years.
The country gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but was soon engulfed by a civil war between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and those supporting his former deputy, Riek Machar.
Although a peace agreement was reached in 2018, political tensions and localised violence have continued in parts of the country.
Conflict has disrupted farming, displaced communities and made it difficult for humanitarian organisations to reach people in need.

SUDAN WAR ADDS TO THE PRESSURE

South Sudan is also dealing with the consequences of the war in neighbouring Sudan.
The conflict that began in Sudan in April 2023 has forced more than one million people to flee into South Sudan.
Many of those arriving are refugees who have themselves lost homes, livelihoods and access to food.
The additional population has placed further pressure on South Sudan’s already limited resources, including food supplies, healthcare facilities and humanitarian services.

CLIMATE PRESSURES MAKE FOOD SECURITY WORSE

Conflict is not the only factor driving the crisis.
South Sudan is highly vulnerable to floods, droughts and other climate-related shocks.
Flooding can destroy crops, kill livestock and cut off roads used to transport food and humanitarian supplies.
At the same time, economic difficulties have reduced people's ability to buy food, leaving many families increasingly dependent on humanitarian assistance.

A CRISIS AFTER YEARS OF CONFLICT

South Sudan has experienced repeated humanitarian emergencies since gaining independence.
Years of fighting have damaged infrastructure, disrupted agriculture and forced millions of people to move within the country or across its borders.
For many communities, humanitarian food assistance has therefore become a crucial part of survival rather than temporary emergency support.
The shrinking availability of funding threatens to remove that safety net at a time when millions still have few alternatives.

WFP WARNS TIME IS RUNNING OUT

The WFP says it needs additional resources urgently to prevent further cuts.
Hollingworth warned that the current funding situation is particularly dangerous because humanitarian needs are now at their highest levels in roughly 13 to 14 years.
“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,” he said.
Unless donors provide significant new funding, the WFP faces difficult decisions over who can continue receiving assistance.
For families already struggling to find enough food each day, the loss of aid could turn an already severe food crisis into an even deeper humanitarian emergency.