South Sudan: Response scale-up for highly food insecure areas - Situation Report No. 2 (as of 29 January 2021)

Highlights
• IPC results show the need for scale-up to meet extreme food insecurity.
• An estimated 104,000 people are targeted in the response in six “Priority 1” counties in Jonglei, Northern Bahr El Ghazal, Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA) and Warrap.
• People in the six counties are in urgent need of food assistance and livelihood support, WASH, health and nutrition, and protection services.
• Response activities in the Priority 1 counties are constrained by reduced physical accessibility, renewed sub-national violence, lack of partner presence, and limited resources.
• The COVID-19 emergency mitigation modalities such as reduced capacity in vehicles is affecting the response.

Situation Overview

Based on findings of food security and nutrition projections for 2021 reflected in IPC reports released in mid-December, humanitarian organizations in South Sudan commenced a scale-up of lifesaving operations. The multi-sectoral response focuses on vulnerable people in areas of most severe acute food insecurity in the six counties of Pibor, Akobo, Aweil South, Tonj East, Tonj North and Tonj South. The response scale-up seeks to provide food and livelihoods assistance, health and nutrition support, protection services, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), and logistics support to the most vulnerable people. The scale-up of lifesaving operations targets 104,000 people between December 2020 and March 2021 and 119,000 people between April and June 2021.

The focus of the humanitarian response is to provide complementary, integrated support for people in the areas most affected. While the scale up targets the most vulnerable and acutely food insecure, there are an estimated 870,000 people are facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or higher levels of food insecurity in the six counties. The scale-up activities aim to bolster existing services and fill gaps where feasible and takes into consideration the impact on the population of multiple and compounding shocks, made more acute as a result of food insecurity.