JUBA – South Sudan is sliding deeper into a hunger emergency, with millions of people teetering on the edge of starvation as conflict, floods, and limited humanitarian access cripple food production and aid delivery.
A new UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report paints a dire picture: more than 7.5 million people, over half the country’s population, are expected to face crisis or worse levels of hunger between April and July 2026. Among them, nearly 2 million children could suffer from acute malnutrition.
The report reveals that 28,000 people in Luakpiny/Nasir and Fangak counties are already enduring Catastrophic (IPC Phase 5) food shortages, the most severe level, signaling potential famine conditions. Southern parts of Luakpiny/Nasir could slide into full-scale famine if violence, floods, and disease persist.
“The hunger we are witnessing in South Sudan partly stems from disrupted agricultural seasons and agri-food systems that can no longer meet the country’s needs,” said Meshack Malo, FAO Representative in South Sudan.
“Achieving lasting peace and revitalizing agri-food systems are essential to ending hunger. When fields are cultivated and markets restored, families will reclaim their dignity,” he added.
In much of the country, conflict, economic hardship, and climate shocks continue to displace communities, sever trade routes, and devastate livelihoods. Yet, in areas where peace has held, the IPC report notes small but encouraging signs of recovery.
“This is an alarming trajectory,” warned Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP’s Country Director. “In peaceful counties, people are starting to rebuild, but we must sustain that progress and extend it to areas still trapped by violence and hunger.”
The crisis is compounded by rising malnutrition rates. By mid-2026, an estimated 2.1 million children under five and over 1 million mothers could face severe malnutrition, driven by conflict, poor access to aid, and a spreading cholera outbreak.
“This paints a heartbreaking picture,” said Noala Skinner, UNICEF’s Country Representative. “Children are bearing the brunt of a crisis they didn’t cause. We urgently need safe and consistent access to deliver life-saving health and nutrition services.”
Humanitarian agencies are calling for immediate and unhindered access to isolated communities before conditions deteriorate further.
“The window to act is closing fast,” the UN warned. “Without urgent and sustained support, millions could be pushed to the edge of survival.”
South Sudan had faced a similar level of hunger in the past. However, this year’s report comes amid funding cuts to UN agencies.
FAO is experiencing a decline in voluntary contributions, projected to fall to approximately $1.5 billion in 2025 from $1.8 billion in 2024, representing a 15% drop. This funding decrease is due to broader global aid trends and specific donor policies, such as the termination of many U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funded projects.
