ReliefWeb

Extreme levels of food insecurity expected across South Sudan in 2017

Key Messages

Extreme levels of food insecurity are expected across South Sudan through at least the first half of 2017. Food availability is likely to be lower than normal due to below-average production and volatile trade, and very high prices will further limit food access. Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes already exist in several areas. In the absence of humanitarian assistance, some households in Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Unity could exhaust their capacity to cope and be in Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5). Continued emergency humanitarian assistance, and improved access, is needed urgently to save lives.

Despite the ongoing harvest, levels of acute malnutrition remain at Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and Emergency (IPC Phase 4) thresholds in many counties. Given the likely early depletion of household stocks and continued constraints to normal livelihood activities, high levels of acute malnutrition are expected to persist throughout the outlook period.