Brief
WFP warns over one‑million South Sudanese at risk of losing food aid
Food stocks in Upper Nile have dropped from 10,000 to under 300 tonnes, prompting urgent calls for new resources.
By Felo News Desk · Published
South Sudan’s humanitarian situation is worsening as the World Food Programme (WFP) warns that more than one million vulnerable people could lose access to life‑saving food and nutrition assistance by October unless additional resources are secured, Al Jazeera reported.
What happened
In the Upper Nile state, food stocks at the WFP logistics hub in Malakal have fallen from 10,000 metric tonnes at this time last year to less than 300 tonnes now. The agency estimates that, without new funding, over one million people – including refugees and returnees crossing from Sudan – face imminent food shortages.
What the reports add
WFP assistant executive director Matthew Hollingworth visited Renk, Malakal and Pigi county in Jonglei state in early October. He said the war in Sudan has driven up prices and strained South Sudan’s already stretched aid capacity. He also highlighted illegal checkpoints that hinder aid delivery, and noted that drought and recent flooding compound the crisis.
What was said
"The war in Sudan has been catastrophic for the north of this country. Prices have gone so much higher due to the complexity of importing goods from Sudan," Hollingworth told Al Jazeera. "It all comes at the time when the international community has a lot less to give, and we don’t have the same resources we used to have." He added that the government must address illegal checkpoints that block aid routes.
Peter Maker, a displaced person in Pigi, told Al Jazeera that insecurity and the influx of people have made farming impossible. "Our main issues are insecurity and lack of access to farmland," he said, warning that further cuts to assistance would be devastating.
How it came about
The current food crisis follows months of conflict‑driven displacement from Sudan, combined with climate shocks that have hit South Sudan’s agricultural zones. Earlier this year, WFP and other UN agencies warned of shrinking resources as donor fatigue grew. The situation echoes the broader regional aid collapse highlighted in Felo’s September coverage of Sudan’s humanitarian pipeline (Sudan Aid Network Faces Collapse Amid Ongoing Conflict).
Key facts
- More than one million vulnerable South Sudanese could lose food assistance by October (aljazeera.com)
- Food stocks at Malakal fell from 10,000 to under 300 metric tonnes since last year (aljazeera.com)
- Around 3,000 refugees and returnees cross weekly from Sudan into South Sudan (aljazeera.com)
- WFP assistant executive director Matthew Hollingworth visited Renk, Malakal and Pigi in early October (aljazeera.com)
- Displaced person Peter Maker cited insecurity and lack of farmland as major challenges (aljazeera.com)
Sources
- [1] aljazeera.com — originally reported as “South Sudan’s aid crisis deepens as food stocks run low”
