HIGHLIGHTS
- In December, WFP distributed more than 14,000 mt of food and USD 4.5 million in cash-based transfers to 1.6 million people, representing 78 percent of the people targeted during the month. WFP had assisted 4.4 million people since January 2024.
- Recent hostilities near the Sudan-South Sudan border have driven 120,000 new arrivals into South Sudan since December, exacerbating the humanitarian situation at the reception and transit centres in Renk. Critical needs include water, health, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene. Acute water shortage has increased the risk of disease outbreaks and tensions between new arrivals and host communities.
- Urgent resource mobilization is crucial to address critical gaps in health, WASH, protection, and nutrition. WFP faces a funding gap of USD 373 million between February and July 2025 to support the urgent humanitarian needs of millions of crisis-affected people.
SITUATION UPDATE
- 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 severe economic and climatic shocks. The ongoing Sudan conflict has compounded the situation by driving 985,000 people into South Sudan by 31 December.
- According to the South Sudan 2025 Humanitarian Needs Response Plan, 9.3 million people will require humanitarian assistance in 2025, representing an increase of 300,000 in 2024. Over 1.8 million people remain internally displaced due to years of subnational violence and the impact of climate change, including floods and dry spells.
- The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) results released in November showed that 6.1 million people are facing acute food insecurity levels, at Crisis or higher, between December 2024 and March 2025. The situation could worsen, with projections showing 7.7 million people will face acute food insecurity during the 2025 lean season. Of the 7.7 million, 2.5 million people will face Emergency levels of food insecurity, and 63,000 will face Catastrophe levels of food insecurity. Malnutrition rates continue to surge, with 3.2 million children and women at risk of malnutrition, representing a 28 percent increase compared to 2024.
- The floods experienced between September and December impacted 1.4 million people across 44 Counties in all the states, including displacing 379,000 people. 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 in 28 counties, including Renk County, the primary entry point for new arrivals.
- The ongoing conflict in Sudan has further aggravated the country's already fragile macroeconomic environment. The disruption of oil revenues has made the parallel market the primary source of foreign currency for business operations. Since the beginning of 2024, the exchange rate in the parallel market has depreciated by 77 percent, driving up the cost of imports, increasing the cost of living and exacerbating the vulnerability of poor households, including the new arrivals.