Attachments
HIGHLIGHTS
• In February WFP distributed 7,885 mt of food and USD 1.3 million in cash-based transfers to 705,000 people, representing 61 percent of the people targeted during the month. Between January and February, WFP had assisted 881,000 people.
• Recent hostilities near the Sudan-South Sudan border have driven 168,000 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.
• WFP faces a critical funding shortfall of USD 396 million to support the urgent humanitarian needs of millions of crisis-affected people in 2025 against its operational plan. Critical needs include requirements to meet the food and nutrition needs of crisis-affected people, food prepositioning before the rainy season starts in May, and other common logistical support services.
SITUATION UPDATE
• South Sudan is facing a confluence of crises that continue to push the country towards new levels of vulnerability. The crises include chronic food and nutrition insecurity, worsened by subnational violence, severe economic downturn and climatic shocks. The ongoing Sudan conflict has compounded the situation by driving over 1 million people into South Sudan.
• The security situation remains fragile, marked by armed clashes in multiple locations, including areas hosting new arrivals. The ongoing fighting between South Sudan People’s Defence Forces and armed youth in Nasir town, Upper Nile State displaced thousands of people.
• About 9.3 million people require humanitarian assistance in 2025, an increase of 300,000 in 2024. Over 1.8 million people remain internally displaced due to years of violence and the impact of climate change, including floods and dry spells.
• The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) results show that 6.1 million people are facing acute food insecurity, at Crisis or higher.
The situation could worsen, with projections showing that 7.7 million people will face acute food insecurity during the April-July lean season.
Of the 7.7 million, 2.5 million people will face emergency food insecurity, and 63,000 will face catastrophe 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.
• South Sudan has been grappling with a cholera outbreak since last October. The Ministry of Health has reported 26,000 cases and 455 fatalities, including Renk County, the primary entry point for new arrivals.
• According to the latest World Bank’s South Sudan Monitor, 92 percent of the South Sudanese faced extreme poverty in 2024, an 8-percentage point increase from 2023. This data underscores the profound challenges facing South Sudan, highlighting the need for sustained humanitarian and development interventions to improve livelihoods and build resilience across the country.
• The damages to the pipeline that carries 70 percent of South Sudan’s oil production through Sudan reduced oil exports, resulting in lower foreign exchange inflows, exchange rate depreciation in the parallel markets and high inflation rates. Since April 2023, the South Sudanese Pound (SSP) has depreciated by 84 percent (from SSP 880 to SSP 5,650).
The average monthly standard food basket cost has increased by 518 percent since April 2023, exacerbating poor households’ vulnerability, including the new arrivals.