HIGHLIGHTS
• One year since the start of the Sudan conflict, 657,959 individuals, including 339,330 children, have crossed border points into South Sudan.
• 367,236 children (9,709 returnees) aged 6-59 months were vaccinated against measles in five counties of Northern Bahr El Ghazal, two counties of Western Equatoria, and two counties of Warrap States.
• 29,790 children 6-59 months with severe wasting were admitted for treatment across the 10 States and the Abyei Administrative Area.
• 74,255 people had access to sufficient quantity and quality of water for drinking and domestic needs through surface water treatment systems and rehabilitation of water points.
• 21,336 women, girls and boys had access to gender-based violence risk mitigation, prevention and/or response interventions.
• The 2024 HAC Appeal remains only 12 per cent funded resulting in the unmet humanitarian needs of children and women.
SITUATION OVERVIEW AND HUMANITARIAN NEEDS
April marked one year since the start of the conflict in Sudan. South Sudan continued to receive returnees and refugees across several border points. As of April 30th, a total 657,959 people from 158,972 households had crossed into South Sudan, including 339,330 children. This population consisted of returnees and refugees composed of 19 different nationalities. Approximately 26,992 refugees and returnees arrived in South Sudan in April, which is lower than the number of arrivals recorded in March (44,675) and February (44,715). The daily average of arrivals in April stood at 800 arrivals compared to 1,500 and 1,400 in March and February respectively. This decrease could be the result of the extreme weather conditions experienced during the reporting month as well as the Ramadan period. Despite the decrease in daily averages, the influx continued to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis within the country amidst the sharp increase cost of assistance delivery. Some returnee households are anticipated to experience Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) conditions due to their arrival without assets, limited coping capacity, and reliance on host communities and humanitarian aid for food and essential services.
In April, South Sudan's macroeconomic conditions further deteriorated due to significant losses in oil revenue, stemming from a February rupture and ongoing repair disruptions of a main oil pipeline in Sudan that transports South Sudanese oil for export. This situation has caused deterioration and high volatility in the exchange rate. By the end of April, the South Sudanese pound had dropped to 2500 against the dollar in the parallel market8 . Coupled with the government's imposition of new customs and border fees, these factors are driving up import costs for food and fuel prices. The fiscal crisis has resulted in delayed payments to government employees and service providers and is causing a rise in the cost of living, especially in urban areas where reliance on the market is greatest.
Humanitarian operations were significantly hindered by new customs and border fees, particularly on fuel, even though South Sudanese law exempts humanitarian organizations from such taxes.
The World Food Programme (WFP) estimated that 60,000 people have already been affected by missed deliveries due to these fees, with the number potentially increasing to 145,000 by May if the issue persists. Humanitarian efforts are currently focused on scaling up the critical lean season response. However, the delivery of this assistance continues to be disrupted by high costs, insecurity, logistical challenges, and insufficient funding.
South Sudan is experiencing increasing acute food insecurity due to the ongoing impacts of conflict and flooding, a high influx of returnees, unusually early depletion of food stocks, and seasonally low availability of wild foods, fish, and livestock products.
Additionally, there has been a significant decline in macroeconomic conditions since February. Crisis (IPC Phase 4) levels of food insecurity will remain widespread, with 23 counties in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) status, including parts of Unity, Warrap, Upper Nile, Jonglei, Lakes, and Eastern Equatoria States. Catastrophe (IPC Phase 5) conditions are expected to persist in Pibor County in Greater Pibor Administrative Area, especially with the suspension of air drops, and among returnee households in transit or with limited social connections and minimal assets.
Staple food prices remained elevated across various regions of the country, driven by high supply costs and significant currency depreciation. According to the Joint Market Monitoring Initiative (JMMI) report9 , the median price for a kilogram of sorghum, sugar and maize stood at 1,336, 3,000 and 1.2996 SSP which is a 31 per cent, 21 per cent and 33 per cent increase, respectively compared to the market prices in March.
Intercommunal violence and insecurity persist in several places in South Sudan, disrupting livelihood activities, trade flows, and humanitarian food assistance deliveries to the most vulnerable host, returnee, and refugee households. Incidents of violent conflict have remained generally high. Moreover, intercommunal conflict and petty crime are likely to increase over the coming months as herders compete for scarce resources in advance of the rains and as the macroeconomic situation deteriorates further.
In Jonglei and the Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), sporadic insecurity and cattle raiding incidents disrupted assistance delivery and trade flows. In Jonglei State, reports indicated that on April 8, two people were killed and two children were abducted in Akobo County. Additionally, on April 12, 42 herds of cattle were raided in Nyirol County. This insecurity hindered land preparations for the 2024 crop production and assistance delivery. In GPAA, persistent localized conflicts and insecurity intermittently disrupted trade flows and assistance delivery. According to key informants and a media report, on April 3, twelve people were killed and fifteen children were abducted in Ajwara village in Pochalla County, highlighting the ongoing threat of conflict to lives and livelihoods.