South Sudan refugee food aid funding crisis

The World Food Programme and the UN refugee agency warned on August 14 that more than 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan risk losing food aid access within weeks due to a severe funding shortfall. The last food distributions for the most vulnerable 240,000 refugees are expected in September unless new funding is secured. UNHCR Deputy Representative Mesfin Degefu stated that if funding does not materialize, no refugees in South Sudan will receive food assistance from October. South Sudan faces one of the world's worst hunger crises, with over 7.8 million people experiencing acute food insecurity and 2.2 million children acutely malnourished. The country receives about 3,000 refugees and returnees weekly from Sudan, where a conflict that erupted in 2023 has caused mass displacement. WFP needs $37 million to maintain refugee operations between October and December, while UNHCR has received only 28% of the $286 million it requires this year. Further cuts are expected, affecting internally displaced people and those in famine-risk areas.