South Sudan faces humanitarian funding cliff as food aid runs short

South Sudan is facing a humanitarian funding crisis that could leave hundreds of thousands of refugees, internally displaced people and others at risk without life-saving food assistance in the coming months, United Nations agencies has warned.

Adham Effendi, deputy country director for the World Food Programme (WFP) in South Sudan, said the agency was heading towards a humanitarian funding cliff as growing needs outpaced available resources despite intensified operations.

WFP has delivered more than 55,000 metric tons of food assistance this year, distributed about USD70 million in cash assistance and reached 2.9 million people as of the end of July.

But without urgent funding, food and nutrition assistance for about 240,000 of the country’s most vulnerable refugees would run out in September.

From Oct. 1, assistance for about 180,000 internally displaced people would cease because of pipeline breaks affecting general food distributions, while by November some 600,000 people in areas at risk of famine could lose life-saving food assistance, Effendi said.

“Funding is no longer simply a resource gap. It is a direct reduction in life-saving assistance,” he said.

South Sudan, which gained independence in 2011, is facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with 7.8 million people experiencing acute food insecurity and 2.2 million children suffering acute malnutrition.

Effendi said more than half of the country’s 14 million people would require food assistance during the lean season, with floods, climate shocks and the effects of El Nino adding to the pressure.

Protection risks

The funding shortfall is also threatening refugee protection efforts, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR said.

Mesfin Degefu, UNHCR’s deputy representative in South Sudan, said food assistance was not merely a source of nutrition for refugee families but also played a crucial role in protecting children from exploitation.

“When families received food, they were better able to keep their children in school,” Degefu said, warning that cuts could expose vulnerable families to greater protection risks.

South Sudan hosts about 650,000 refugees, around 90% of them from neighbouring Sudan, where a devastating conflict has displaced millions of people.

Degefu said some refugees had already asked UNHCR for assistance to return to Sudan. The agency, however, does not promote or support returns because conditions in Sudan remain unsuitable for safe and sustainable repatriation.

The funding crisis could also trigger further cross-border movements as refugees struggle to access food, basic services and safety, Degefu said.

Funding appeal

WFP needs about USD86 million to maintain its operations through the final quarter of 2026, Effendi said.

UNHCR, meanwhile, requires USD286 million for its operations in South Sudan this year but has received only 28% of that amount.

An additional USD20 million to USD50 million would allow UNHCR to maintain life-saving assistance through the end of the year, Degefu said.

The agencies have been working with the South Sudanese government to help refugees become more self-reliant. Authorities have allocated agricultural land, while humanitarian agencies have provided vocational and enterprise training aimed at helping families secure sustainable livelihoods.

Degefu said early results from those programmes had been encouraging, making the current funding shortfall particularly damaging.

The situation is further complicated by repeated flooding in South Sudan, which has experienced severe floods over the past several years, as well as wider climate shocks that are pushing more people towards extreme hunger.

Effendi said the immediate priority was to secure funding before existing food stocks and assistance pipelines were exhausted.