By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN agencies on Friday called for more international support and interventions to ease the widespread suffering in South Sudan is facing a spiraling humanitarian crisis with hunger and cholera cases escalating in several parts of the country.
WFP, WHO and the UNICEF have raised the alarm over worsening hunger, malnutrition, and disease outbreaks in the world’s youngest nation.
WFP warned that the food situation in South Sudan has reached critical levels, with more than half of the population already facing “crisis-level” hunger classified as at least IPC3 on the five point global food insecurity scale.
UN food agency has no funds to preposition supplies for next year, as it also faces challenges accessing communities in need due to seasonal road closures and prohibitive costs associated with airlifting aid.
Shaun Hughes, WFP acting Country Director for South Sudan “WFP currently has no food supplies in South Sudan to preposition for next year’s humanitarian response”.
He added that the country’s limited road networks are impassable for much of the year, particularly in regions with the highest levels of food insecurity.
“Airdrops are always last resort for WFP. Every dollar spent on planes is a dollar not spent on food for hungry people. But there is a simple solution: get food to communities by road before they are cut off by heavy rain and flooding.”
South Sudan hunger crisis is compounded by several factors, including high food prices, economic instability, ongoing conflict, and an influx of refugees from neighboring Sudan, where conflict between Government troops and a powerful rival militia is also escalating.
Severe floods have not only destroyed crops but also displaced entire communities, leaving them dependent on humanitarian assistance to survive.
WFP’s current resources have only managed to reach 38 per cent of those in need during 2024’s lean season, with most recipients receiving half-rations.
South Sudan is fighting with a cholera outbreak in Renk county a key entry point for refugees and returnees fleeing conflict in Sudan.
The health authorities have reported 50 suspected cholera cases, with six confirmed, among refugees, returnees, and the local community.
The outbreak is fuelled by overcrowded living conditions and limited access to clean water and sanitation which threatens to spread as the flood-displaced population grows.
South Sudanese health authorities, supported by WHO, have activated a cholera task force to coordinate containment efforts. It also established two treatment units, a 10-bed facility at Renk Civil Hospital and a smaller one at Wunthou, a key entry point.
WHO has deployed rapid response teams consisting of state coordinators, epidemiologists, water, sanitation and hygiene experts, and infection prevention specialists. It also delivered 12 metric tons of emergency health kits to Renk, sufficient to treat 74,000 people, including cholera-specific supplies.
Dr. Karamag said “WHO is committed to supporting the South Sudanese Ministry of Health in enhancing disease surveillance, improving response coordination, and ensuring the availability of medical supplies”.
Children under five are vulnerable in South Sudan’s growing crisis, facing high levels of malnutrition and limited access to basic services.
UNICEF screened 1,800 under-fives for malnutrition at entry points in Greater Bahr el Ghazal, finding 485 malnourished, including 150 severely malnourished.
UNICEF has been providing essential clean water services to an estimated 40,000 people in flood-affected areas, helping reduce waterborne disease risks.
The agency supported the enrolment of over 3,000 returnee and refugee children into local schools in Renk, Kodok and Malakal, while 216 children attend basic English classes at the Renk Transit Centre, an effort aimed at supporting the integration of displaced children into host communities.
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