Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, warned the Security Council on Friday that South Sudan faces a risk of full-scale famine and collapse as violence intensifies and the peacekeeping mission is scaled back.
Fighting and displacement are worsening across multiple states
Renewed fighting since late December has forced over a quarter of a million people to flee within South Sudan, with another 110,000 seeking refuge in Ethiopia, according to Fletcher’s briefing. In Akobo County, inter-agency teams found more than 140,000 people in dire necessitate of aid just two weeks ago, only to see many displaced again by weekend violence. Aid workers have been driven out of Akobo, cutting off communities from essential facilitate when they need it most. Humanitarian compounds have been looted and nutrition centres destroyed in the area.
The humanitarian response is severely underfunded
Two out of every three people in South Sudan require humanitarian support this year, yet the UN’s $1.46 billion appeal is only 22 percent funded. Fletcher described a growing sense of despair and abandonment among communities he visited, particularly in Jonglei State. At Akobo Hospital, which was serving over 100,000 people in late February, doctors reported treating countless gunshot wounds, including an 18-month-old boy with injuries in both limbs receiving daily physiotherapy.
Famine risk is tied to broader regional instability
Fletcher noted that the war in Sudan, especially in the Kordofan region bordering South Sudan, is pushing more people into the country, adding 439,000 Sudanese refugees and 917,000 returnees to the crisis. Returnees fleeing Khartoum to Malakal in Upper Nile described harassment, assault, and looting along their journey. The UN official framed the situation as a dangerous crossroads for the world’s youngest nation, with conflict, displacement, hunger, disease, and attacks on aid workers all on the rise whereas funding declines.
What is causing the increased risk of famine in South Sudan?
The risk stems from intensified fighting that has displaced hundreds of thousands, looted aid facilities, and cut off access to vulnerable communities, all while the humanitarian appeal remains severely underfunded at just 22 percent of its $1.46 billion target.
How is the situation in Sudan affecting South Sudan?
The war in Sudan, particularly in the Kordofan region, is driving 439,000 refugees and 917,000 returnees into South Sudan, many of whom face harassment and violence during their journey, adding to the strain on already overwhelmed resources.