South Sudan Faces Severe Food Aid Shortage as WFP Warns Millions Could Lose Assistance
The United Nations World Food Programme has warned that millions of people in South Sudan could lose access to essential food assistance within weeks unless additional funding is urgently secured.
The WFP said its resources are declining rapidly at a time when food insecurity is affecting a large portion of the country’s population. About 7.8 million people in South Sudan are currently struggling to obtain enough food, according to the agency.
The humanitarian organization currently provides daily assistance to around three million people. However, the WFP warned that this number could fall to approximately one million by the end of the month if additional funding does not arrive soon.
The agency said it urgently needs about $86 million to maintain immediate operations and approximately $416 million over the next six months to continue providing food and nutrition assistance at the required scale.
Children and women are among those facing particularly serious risks. The WFP estimates that around 2.2 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women require urgent nutritional support.
The shortage is already affecting humanitarian supply stocks. WFP officials reported that one warehouse in Malakal, which held roughly 10,000 tonnes of food a year ago, now has fewer than 300 tonnes.
South Sudan has faced years of conflict, economic difficulties and climate-related pressures. The country has also received large numbers of refugees fleeing the conflict in neighboring Sudan, increasing pressure on already limited humanitarian resources.
The WFP said the current funding situation is particularly concerning because humanitarian needs are at extremely high levels. Without new financial support, more than one million vulnerable people could lose access to life-saving food and nutrition assistance by October.
The situation highlights the wider challenge facing humanitarian organizations as conflicts, displacement and economic instability increase demand for emergency assistance while international funding remains constrained.
