WFP South Sudan Situation Report #318, 31 December 2023

HIGHLIGHTS

• In December, WFP distributed 9,800 mt of food and USD 4.3 million in cash-based transfers to over 1.1 million people. This brought the total number of people reached in 2023 to 5.3 million, representing 98 percent of the people targeted in 2023.

• Since April 2023, WFP provided 399,000 new arrivals from Sudan with food assistance, including 102,000 assisted under Phase II of the response.

• WFP required 446,000 mt of food in 2023, out of which it resourced 229,000 mt by 31 December, representing 51 percent of the annual requirements.

• WFP faces a funding gap of USD 575 million between February and July 2024 and another USD 73 million for the Sudan crisis response and had to reduce the number of people targeted in 2024 from 7.3 million to 4.2 million.

SITUATION UPDATE

• South Sudan endured a challenging year marked by multiple intersecting crises. The effects of insecurity, violence, macroeconomic challenges, climate crisis, and the Sudan conflict jeopardized development gains and increased food insecurity for millions of South Sudanese families. Humanitarian needs increased amid severe resource constraints, demanding resolute interventions.

• In 2023, 9.4 million people required humanitarian assistance and protection services, including 2.2 million women, 4.9 million children and 337,000 refugees. The number of people requiring humanitarian support represented 76 percent of the country’s population and an increase of 500,000 from 2022. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) released in November 2023 showed that South Sudan remained one of the countries with the highest proportion of food-insecure people globally. About 5.83 million people – almost half of South Sudan’s population experienced high levels of acute food insecurity classified as IPC Phase 3 or above (Crisis or worse) between September and November. The results also predicted a dire humanitarian situation for 2024, indicating that 7.1 million would face high levels of acute food insecurity classified as IPC Phase 3 or above at the height of the lean season in 2024, with 1.6 million children moderately or severely malnourished.

• The ongoing conflict in Sudan continues to compound an already dire situation, forcing thousands of people to cross into South Sudan. As of 31 December, 477,000 people had crossed into South Sudan. Of these, 83 percent were South Sudanese returning to a country hosting over 360,000 refugees and 2 million internally displaced persons, with limited livelihood opportunities. Access to primary services for people living in South Sudan and new arrivals remains strained, further complicating the provision of humanitarian assistance.

• December saw the South Sudanese Pound trade at SSP 1,068 and SSP 1,100 per US dollar in the reference and informal markets, respectively. This exchange rate reflected a 40 percent depreciation of the SSP against the US dollar compared to December 2022. The depreciation continued to erode the purchasing power of the market-reliant households, exacerbating their food security.

• Despite these concerns, seasonal harvests improved, bolstering the supply of goods and stabilising retail prices of staple cereals in many WFP-monitored markets. However, this positive trend was not universal. Notably, white sorghum remained scarce in Abyei due to heightened insecurity along primary trade routes and the spillover effects of the Sudan crisis. Addressing the root causes of inflation and insecurity remains crucial for ensuring broader economic well-being and mitigating the disproportionate burden on households in vulnerable situations.