South Sudan refugees face loss of food aid due to funding crisis

United Nations agencies have warned that over 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan risk losing access to food aid within weeks due to a severe funding shortfall. The World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) stated that if urgent funding is not secured, food distributions for the most vulnerable 240,000 refugees could cease as early as September, with no food assistance available for any refugees in the country by October.

South Sudan is currently facing a major hunger crisis, with more than 7.8 million people—over half the population—experiencing acute food insecurity and 2.2 million children suffering from acute malnutrition. The country is also managing an influx of approximately 3,000 refugees and returnees per week fleeing the conflict in neighboring Sudan.

UN officials noted that families are already resorting to extreme measures to survive, such as reducing meals, selling belongings, and withdrawing children from school. There is a growing risk that the lack of aid may force refugees to return to war-torn Sudan, despite UNHCR assessments that conditions there remain unsafe.