Millions face starvation in South Sudan as aid funds dry up

Approximately 1.7 million people face starvation in South Sudan after the United Nations World Food Programme has been forced to suspend part of its food assistance programme.

It comes amid critical funding shortages – the organisation has raised only 44 per cent of the $1.1 billion it needs.

South Sudan facing its greatest hunger since independence in 2011. Over 60 per cent of the population are grappling with severe food insecurity, fuelled by conflict, severe flooding, drought, and soaring food prices exacerbated by the crisis in Ukraine.

The move will affect almost a third of the 6.2 million people the WFP had planned to assist this year. The organisation said it is “extremely concerned” about the vulnerable population.

“Families have completely exhausted their coping strategies. They need immediate humanitarian assistance to put food on the table in the short-term and to rebuild their livelihoods and resilience to cope with future shocks,” said Adeyinka Badejo, Acting Country Director of the World Food Programme in South Sudan.

Ms Badejo said that people are resorting to eating wild foods, like water lilies, and selling off assets. “When they sell productive assets, like their goats, it has a longer term impact,” she said.

 “Humanitarian needs are far exceeding the funding we have received this year. If this continues, we will face bigger and more costly problems in the future, including increased mortality, malnutrition, stunting, and disease,” said Ms Badejo.

South Sudan is one of dozens of countries facing the fallout from the Ukraine war. The conflict has cut off supplies from Ukraine's ports, which once exported vast amounts of cooking oil as well as maize and wheat.

This has reduced the global supply and caused the price of alternatives to soar. Global food prices are almost 30 per cent higher than the same time last year, according to the UN.

“The Ukraine war is having a ripple effect. We get our maize from Uganda, which relies on fertiliser coming from that part of the world. A basic food basket has increased 36 per cent in price since January. Fuel has risen 40 per cent since the beginning of January,” Ms Badejo explained.

Meanwhile, climate change is also exacerbating the situation.

South Sudan experienced its worst flooding on record in 2021. More than 835,000 people were impacted, according to the UN Office for Humanitarian Affairs. Thousands of hectares of farmland in eight states were flooded, preventing people from cultivating, while 800,000 livestock are thought to have perished.

The WFP had exhausted all options before suspending food assistance, including halving rations in 2021, it said.

These latest reductions to assistance will impact 178,000 school children who will no longer receive daily school meals. The organisation said this is a crucial safety net that helps keep South Sudanese children in school.

South Sudan has one of the world’s lowest literacy rates, with approximately 2.8 million children out of school. More than 70 per cent of the population above the age of 15 is illiterate.

Ms Badejo said she had heard reports of children  dropping out of school to work in gold mines, cattle camps, in some cases begging on the streets.

“We have informed the government of the situation. The humanitarian community is there to fill gaps, but the government is the primary carer for its people,” Ms Badejo said.