UN agency says humanitarian situation in South Sudan continues to worsen

(AFP)

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan continued to worsen, driven by compounding effects of years of conflict, sub-national violence, food insecurity, climate crisis, and public health challenges, a UN agency said Friday.

The World Food Program (WFP) said insecurity, fuelled by inter-communal violence and the ongoing Sudan conflict, continues to drive up humanitarian needs in South Sudan. "WFP faces a funding gap of 405 million U.S. dollars between June and November 2023 and has reduced its targeted population from 7.7 million to 5.4 million," it said in its latest situation update released in the South Sudanese capital of Juba.

According to the WFP, the latest influx continued to compound a dire situation, forcing humanitarian partners to make difficult choices about addressing growing humanitarian needs with limited resources.

An estimated more than 9.4 million people will require humanitarian assistance in 2023, representing 76 percent of South Sudan's population, according to the UN agency.

The October-November 2022 Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projected that 7.7 million people will face severe acute food insecurity -- at the Crisis level or higher during the April-July 2023 lean season.

According to the WFP, of the 7.7 million, 2.9 million people face Emergency (IPC 4) acute food insecurity, and 43,000 are in Catastrophe (IPC 5) acute food insecurity in Jonglei and Unity states.

The remaining 4.8 million people face Crisis (IPC 3) conditions, the WFP warned, adding that some 1.4 million children will be acutely surpassing the levels seen in the conflict in 2013 and 2016 and putting these children at much higher risk of medical problems and death if left untreated.

The WFP said the Sudan conflict has forced thousands to flee to South Sudan, exacerbating the humanitarian situation in South Sudan. "Since the beginning of the Sudan crisis, the food prices in areas bordering Sudan had increased by 20-84 percent, further complicating the situation for thousands of vulnerable people living in these areas."