WFP Warns More Than 1 Million in South Sudan Could Lose Food Aid as Climate Shocks, Conflict and Funding Crisis Bite

The World Food Programme warned that more than one million people in South Sudan risk losing vital food assistance, as climate shocks, conflict and shrinking international support deepen the country’s humanitarian crisis.

WFP said South Sudan is experiencing one of its most severe climate-driven food emergencies. Consecutive floods, prolonged dry spells and the fallout from the war in neighboring Sudan have pushed millions deeper into vulnerability.

Speaking at a press conference in Geneva, Matthew Hollingworth, WFP Assistant Executive Director for Operations, said 7.8 million people, more than half of South Sudan’s population, are struggling to find food every day. Another 2.2 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding mothers require urgent nutrition support.

“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,” Hollingworth said.

WFP currently faces a shortfall of 86 million US dollars and a funding gap exceeding 400 million US dollars over the next six months. The shortfall comes during the rainy season, when food becomes harder to find, prices rise and flooded roads make it more difficult for aid groups to reach people in need.

South Sudan is among the countries most exposed to climate change. Since 2019, repeated floods have affected more than one million people each year, destroying homes, farmland and grazing areas.

The 2024 El Niño event created a flood-drought paradox: parts of Greater Upper Nile, Unity and Jonglei states saw extensive flooding that displaced more than 375,000 people by late 2025, while other areas endured long dry spells.

The combined shocks have devastated crops and livestock, eroding livelihoods and leaving millions of families unable to feed themselves. Many are eating less, selling possessions and cutting spending on health, education and shelter.

“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.”

The climate emergency is unfolding alongside prolonged conflict and regional instability. Since March 2025, renewed clashes between government forces and opposition groups, especially in Greater Upper Nile and the Equatorias, have displaced hundreds of thousands and disrupted humanitarian operations. In Jonglei alone, nearly 300,000 people have been displaced.

The IPC has identified a credible risk of famine in four counties in Upper Nile and Jonglei states, with about 73,000 people facing Catastrophe levels of acute food insecurity.

The war in neighboring Sudan, which began in 2023, has added further pressure. South Sudan receives roughly 3,000 refugees and returnees each week, adding to the 1.3 million already in the country.

Economic decline has also worsened food insecurity. Cereal prices remain extremely high because of macroeconomic problems, soaring fuel costs and the depreciation of the local currency. Aid and commercial food moving along the Nile face illegal checkpoints and taxation, increasing costs and delaying deliveries.

South Sudan gained independence from Sudan on July 9, 2011. Since then, it has faced political conflict, communal violence, corruption and economic instability. A civil war that began in 2013 killed tens of thousands. A 2018 peace agreement largely ended the fighting, but its implementation has stalled.

The current emergency is driven by overlapping factors, with climate shocks amplifying existing vulnerabilities. WFP’s funding crisis is also part of a wider decline in humanitarian contributions. Earlier this year, WFP and UNHCR warned that more than 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan risked losing food aid, with support already reduced to half-rations due to funding constraints.

Humanitarian access remains difficult. Insecurity, illegal checkpoints and taxation, outbreaks of cholera, malaria and measles, and limited basic services continue to hamper the response.

WFP said food assistance remains essential to preventing a humanitarian catastrophe, but stressed it must also serve as a bridge to long-term recovery. The agency called on the Government of South Sudan to begin mobilizing its own funds to support its people.

Without immediate additional resources, WFP warned, the situation will deteriorate further, with children and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers facing the gravest consequences.