The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that South Sudan is facing a "perfect storm" of ongoing violence, imminent flooding, economic crisis, underfunding of the humanitarian response, and an influx of new arrivals due to the war in neighboring Sudan. The warning comes as 9 million people in the country are in need of humanitarian assistance. Among those in need are 4.9 million children.
South Sudan is already experiencing a complex humanitarian crisis as a result of years of conflict, exacerbated by droughts, floods, epidemic outbreaks, food insecurity and internal displacement.
In an update on Thursday, OCHA also stated that the number of people facing catastrophic conditions (IPC 5 - the highest level of acute food insecurity) in South Sudan is expected to almost double through July - to 79,000 people, compared to 35,000 people at the same time last year.
An estimated 7.1 million people in South Sudan are estimated to be food insecure during the lean season from April to July 2024, an increase of more than 20 percent from mid-year 2023. Approximately 1.7 million children are at risk of malnutrition, including 480,000 at risk of severe acute malnutrition (SAM).
Even before war broke out in Sudan last year, years of conflict in Southern Sudan had created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. Soaring rates of severe malnutrition, acute hunger, and deteriorating health conditions threaten the lives and well-being of millions of people in the country.
In addition, South Sudan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, with the situation exacerbated by extreme weather events. Droughts and floods contribute to food insecurity.
At present, South Sudan is preparing for the worst floods in 60 years. According to government officials, UN agencies, and independent research groups, South Sudan is likely to experience a major flooding event in the second half of 2024, threatening to exacerbate an already severe humanitarian crisis.
Major flooding is expected to cause widespread displacement. With 4.3 million people forcibly displaced, South Sudan has the highest proportion - one third - of its population displaced of any country in Africa. More than 2.3 million people have fled to neighboring countries. Most are now in Uganda, which hosts 1 million South Sudanese refugees. 2 million are internally displaced. In addition, South Sudan hosts some 337,000 refugees and asylum seekers.
Consecutive years of record flooding have led to widespread displacement, loss of farmland and destruction of livelihoods.
Torrential rains and subsequent flooding across South Sudan in 2022 affected more than 1 million people. The floods displaced tens of thousands, caused an unknown number of deaths, and damaged or destroyed farmland, homes, health centers, schools, and water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure across the country.
In its latest situation report, OCHA said at least 20 counties in Central Equatoria, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Warrap, Jonglei and Upper Nile states are at risk of significant flooding in the coming months due to rising Lake Victoria levels and above-average rainfall.
Humanitarian agencies are planning for a scenario in which more than 3 million people will be affected and 2.4 million will be in need of humanitarian assistance.
According to OCHA, in response to the projected flooding, the humanitarian community aims to provide life-saving assistance to the 2.4 million people to be in need of humanitarian assistance if flooding occurs as expected in the northern, northeastern and central parts of the country starting in September.
An estimated $264 million will be required to meet this challenge, yet underfunding of the humanitarian response in South Sudan is an ongoing concern. Six months into this year, the 2024 Humanitarian Response Plan for South Sudan is only 20 percent funded, with $353 million received out of nearly $1.8 billion needed.
The war in Sudan, which erupted on April 15 last year, has also increased the number of vulnerable people in need of assistance. As of June, more than 700,000 people had crossed the border from Sudan into South Sudan. The continued influx of Sudanese refugees and South Sudanese returnees from Sudan, many of whom arrive with no assets and extremely limited coping capacities, continues to put heavy pressure on host communities to share scarce resources.
Food insecurity, economic shocks, conflict, climate hazards and public health challenges, compounded by the influx of displaced people due to the war in Sudan, continue to drive the humanitarian needs of people in South Sudan. Aid agencies are working to meet the most urgent needs of hundreds of thousands of people, including those fleeing conflict in neighboring Sudan and host communities.
Earlier in June, the Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan, Anita Kiki Gbeho, released US$20 million from the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund to provide life-saving assistance to some 290,000 of the most vulnerable people in four locations near the border with Sudan.
This was the first allocation of the year and came at a critical time to prevent the hunger situation in South Sudan from worsening, as the current lean season is expected to further increase levels of food insecurity and malnutrition.