The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is warning that hundreds of thousands of people in South Sudan are at risk of going without life-saving assistance unless additional funding for the humanitarian response is received without delay. Some 9 million people - including 4.9 million children - in the country are in need of humanitarian aid, and the outlook for the coming months is worrying.
As South Sudan faces a worsening humanitarian crisis, with three out of four of the country's 12.4 million people in need of aid, this year's humanitarian appeal to assist some 6 million of the country's most vulnerable people is only 43 percent funded, with just US$773 million received out of the US$1.8 billion requested.
In a recent report, OCHA warns that worsening food insecurity, the impact of the war in Sudan on South Sudan, predicted record flooding during the rainy season, an unprecedented economic crisis and inadequate humanitarian funding are exacerbating existing humanitarian vulnerabilities.
According to the UN humanitarian office, nearly 145,000 acutely malnourished children in the country are at high risk of death due to the depletion of critical supplies. Fewer than two-thirds of the 2.3 million people targeted for emergency food assistance have been reached since May, and supplies of commodities have largely run out.
OCHA warned Thursday that stocks to ensure safe drinking water will run out in a month, increasing the risk of disease for some 1.2 million people.
And without adequate funding, conditions in dozens of overcrowded displacement sites will continue to deteriorate, affecting some 900,000 people, most of whom have escaped the war in neighboring Sudan. More than 788,000 people have fled across the border into South Sudan since war broke out more than sixteen months ago.
The need for additional resources for the humanitarian response is particularly critical in light of the current flooding that has impacted hundreds of thousands of people in South Sudan. Heavy rains have affected the country since May, causing flooding that has led to displacement and damage, particularly in the states of Warrap, Jonglei, and Northern Bahr el Ghazal.
As of Thursday, the floods have adversely affected more than 735,000 people in 38 of South Sudan's 78 counties and the Abyei Administrative Area. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 65,000 people have been displaced, with more than 41,000 in Warrap state alone.
Projections indicate that flooding could affect up to 3.3 million people across the country during the peak of the rainy season between September and October, including communities still recovering from the devastating floods of 2019-2022, which displaced at least 1 million people annually.
South Sudan is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Drought and flooding contribute to food insecurity. Consecutive years of record flooding have led to widespread displacement, the loss of agricultural land and the destruction of people's livelihoods.
This year, major flooding is expected to cause widespread displacement. 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.
“In Warrap and Jonglei states, the UN and our partners have stepped up efforts to reach those most affected by the floods with food and nutrition support, as well as shelter, water, sanitation and hygiene supplies,” OCHA said in a statement.
“But we need stepped-up funding to save lives. Donor countries must do all they can to keep the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan from getting even worse.”