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South Sudan + 1 more

WFP South Sudan Country Brief, December 2024

Attachments

In Numbers

1.6 million people assisted

USD 4.5 million in cash-based transfers distributed

14,540 mt of food distributed

USD 373 million six months net funding requirements (February - July 2025), including USD 42 million for the Sudan crisis response

Operational Updates

Humanitarian situation

  • South Sudan is facing a confluence of crises that continue to push the country towards new levels of vulnerability. South Sudan is grappling with a long-standing humanitarian crisis marked by chronic food and nutrition insecurity, worsened by the severe economic downturn and climatic shocks. The ongoing Sudan conflict has compounded the situation by driving 985,000 people into South Sudan by 31 December.
  • The floods experienced between September and December impacted 1.4 million people across 44 counties in all the states, including 379,000 people displaced by 31 December. The Abyei Administrative Area, Jonglei, Lakes, Unity, and Western Bahr el Ghazal States are the most affected.
  • South Sudan has been grappling with a cholera outbreak since October. By 31 December, the Ministry of Health had reported 13,000 suspected cases and 200 fatalities across 28 counties, including Renk County, the primary entry point for new arrivals.

Support to crisis-affected people

  • WFP distributed 14,540 mt of food and USD 4.5 million as cash-based transfers to 1.6 million people in December, including new arrivals, refugees, internally displaced persons, and host populations. Delayed arrival of commodities in-country and impassability of roads affected WFP's ability to reach all the targeted people. WFP has assisted 4.4 million people since January 2024.
  • Recent hostilities near the Sudan-South Sudan border saw over 80,000 new arrivals enter South Sudan in December. A headcount conducted on 27 December revealed a critical situation at the congested Renk Transit Centres, with 22,000 new arrivals residing at the centres and a further 82,000 at different border points. WFP distributed 53 mt of fortified biscuits to 75,000 new arrivals in Renk and other entry points within Renk.
  • WFP continued to support flood-affected people across various states in South Sudan. By 31 December, WFP had assisted 1.3 million flood-affected people with food and nutrition assistance. WFP also assisted 253,000 children aged 6-23 months in flood-affected areas with specialized nutritious foods to prevent moderate acute malnutrition in flood-affected areas.

Nutrition assistance

  • In Northern Bahr El Ghazal and Lakes States, WFP and UNICEF continued to operationalize the WHO guidelines, developing critical operational tools such as instructional guidelines, training materials, and testing protocols to ensure a timely project launch. Concurrently, WFP and FAO collaborated to identify and prioritize nutrition-sensitive areas of operation. This strategic approach aims to address the underlying causes of malnutrition and foster long-term resilience within vulnerable communities in both states.