WFP seeks $404m to provide food aid in South Sudan

The World Food Programme (WFP) said it requires $404 million to support the urgent humanitarian needs of millions of crisis-affected people in South Sudan over the next six months.

In its latest report, the WFP said that South Sudan is facing crises that continue to push millions of families into new levels of vulnerability.

The country continues to grapple with a long-standing humanitarian crisis marked by chronic food and nutrition insecurity, the report said, adding that the ongoing conflict in Sudan has worsened the situation, driving 892,000 people into South Sudan by Nov.30, 2024.

“The situation could worsen, with projections showing that 7.7 million people will face acute food insecurity during the 2025 lean season,” the WFP warned.

Out of the 7.7 million, 2.5 million people are expected to face emergency levels of food insecurity, with 63,000 at catastrophic levels, according to the report.

The WFP also noted that 2.1 million children aged six to 59 months and 1.1 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are likely to suffer from acute malnutrition.

In December 2024, the WFP called on donors to provide early funding for 2025 operations to enable the prepositioning of food supplies and prevent spiraling operational costs and hunger throughout 2025.

The organisation said it distributed more than 13,000 metric tonnes of food and 4.6 million dollars in cash-based transfers to 1.6 million people in November 2024, achieving 92 per cent of its target for the month.

Since January 2024, the WFP has assisted 4.2 million people.

On Dec.11, 2024, the WFP launched the South Sudan Resilience Strategy to support marginalised communities affected by food insecurity, conflict and climate shocks, Xinhua news agency reported.

The strategy integrates resilience-building activities into food distribution programmes, gradually shifting toward comprehensive livelihood support, disaster risk reduction, nutrition support and school feeding programmes.

Meanwhile, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), a UN migration agency, said that it had scaled up its response to the ongoing cholera outbreak in South Sudan with crucial aid supplies.

Muhammad Assar, IOM’s head of Operations, said the essential water purification tablets, commonly known as Aqua Tabs, are part of a coordinated effort of the Core humanitarian pipeline to curb the spread of cholera, which has been exacerbated by flooding, limited access to clean water, and constrained health services.

Indo-Asian News Service