South Sudan is facing a rapidly worsening food security crisis demanding urgent donor attention, according to an advocacy note released Friday by the Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster (FSLC). The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis shows that 7.8 million people — more than half the population — are experiencing crisis-level hunger (IPC3) or worse. This includes 2.5 million people facing emergency levels (IPC4) and 73,000 people facing famine conditions (IPC5).
The humanitarian coordination group warned in its report that the response is not keeping pace with the scale of need. Limited resources have forced aid agencies to focus on populations already experiencing catastrophic conditions, areas at risk of famine, and emergency hotspots.
Consequently, millions of people experiencing crisis levels of food insecurity are receiving limited, irregular, or no support, despite the fact that over 5.3 million people are already facing food consumption gaps and the rapid erosion of their livelihoods. In South Sudan, households in IPC3 can deteriorate into emergency levels within a single lean season if support does not arrive in time.
The FSLC stated that urgent action, resources, and funding are needed to prevent further deterioration before families in IPC3 face far more severe hunger, asset loss, displacement, and heightened mortality risk. At the same time, support for people in emergency and famine conditions must be urgently expanded and sustained.
“Current assistance is not only too limited in coverage, but often insufficient in intensity, with many highly vulnerable households unreached and others receiving reduced rations or short-duration support,” the report said.
The funding gap continues to be a primary obstacle to stabilizing the situation. The Food Security Cluster (FSLC) requires US$410 million in funding for 2026, but has only received $114 million—28 percent—to date. This leaves a $296 million shortfall at the height of the lean season.
The humanitarian coordination group stressed the need for donor investment on two fronts: scaling up early action for populations in IPC3 and ensuring adequate, sustained, full-ration assistance for those facing life-threatening conditions (IPC4/5).
South Sudan's humanitarian situation is fueled by a volatile mix of escalating conflict, mass displacement, and four consecutive years of severe flooding, which have destroyed crops, livestock, and infrastructure.
The crisis has been further intensified by the influx of over 1.34 million returnees and refugees from Sudan since the war began in the neighboring country in April 2023. More than 70 percent of these individuals have settled in areas that are already experiencing extreme resource scarcity. This has placed extraordinary strain on limited supplies and services.
Humanitarian agencies have identified a "realistic worst-case scenario" of famine in several regions, including Akobo, Nyirol, Luakpiny/Nasir, and Ulang counties. In these areas, market collapse, failed production, and breakdowns in essential health and nutrition services are creating conditions of extreme need.
The humanitarian coordination group, however, warned that the deterioration is widespread, affecting the states of Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity, Warrap, Western Bahr el Ghazal, and parts of Central and Western Equatoria. This deterioration is driven by escalating conflict, mass displacement, shrinking humanitarian access, flooding, limited market functioning, and production shocks.
“While Jonglei and Upper Nile require immediate and urgent attention, worsening crisis outcomes in Warrap, Unity, Western Bahr el Ghazal, and Greater Equatoria must not be overlooked. Today’s Crisis counties can quickly become tomorrow’s Emergency counties if early action is delayed,” the report said.
The FSLC stressed that "stability and peace in South Sudan remain central to achieving meaningful outcomes."
“Without peace, humanitarian and recovery efforts will continue to be undermined, leaving millions trapped in cycles of crisis,” the humanitarian coordination group said.
These rapidly deteriorating food security crises do not exist in a vacuum. They are direct symptoms of a broader, compounding nationwide emergency.
South Sudan's growing humanitarian crisis
The situation in South Sudan is becoming increasingly dire. Armed conflict, violence, disease, and natural disasters are devastating the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the country. The situation has left 9.9 million people in need of life-saving assistance, while critical funding shortfalls are further exacerbating the situation.
One major factor behind the worsening situation is the resurgence of violence in several parts of the country. Since the beginning of 2026, renewed fighting has forced over 530,000 people to flee, including around 110,000 to neighboring Ethiopia. Hostilities have continued to escalate, particularly in Jonglei, as well as in Upper Nile and Unity states.
Since late 2025, the situation in Jonglei, Upper Nile, and several other states has deteriorated to levels not seen since 2017. This deterioration comes as political instability and rising hostilities between armed groups lead to clashes, forcing people to flee their homes and restricting humanitarian access.
South Sudan remains at a heightened risk of renewed large-scale violence, with political tensions intensifying and ethnically targeted attacks spreading, particularly in Jonglei, Unity, Upper Nile, and Central Equatoria states. There has also been a surge in human rights violations, including the forced recruitment of children by armed forces.
The broader humanitarian response is also grappling with a substantial funding shortfall. The $1.46 billion 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan prioritizes providing targeted assistance to 4.3 million of the most vulnerable people. However, to date, the plan has only received $510 million—a mere 33 percent of what is needed.
This funding shortfall affects more than just food security; it is crippling specialized nutrition and health services and driving up rates of severe wasting. Consequently, the acute malnutrition situation in South Sudan is worsening alongside general food insecurity.
Currently, over 2.2 million children under the age of five are experiencing acute malnutrition and require immediate nutritional services and treatment. Furthermore, an estimated 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Sudan are malnourished.
Further information
Full text: South Sudan is approaching a tipping point: without timely donor action, millions risk sliding deeper into acute food insecurity, Food Security and Livelihoods Cluster (FSLC), advocacy note, released July 3, 2026
https://reliefweb.int/attachments/28e80c71-282f-4e99-869c-cd609bb91657/FSLC_SSD_Advocacy_Note_2026.pdf