More than 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan face the loss of vital food and nutrition assistance amid severe funding shortages….reports Asian Lite News Desk
More than 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan face losing access to lifesaving food, nutrition and other assistance because of critical funding shortages, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and World Food Programme (WFP) warned on Monday.
Without urgent funding, food and nutrition assistance for the most vulnerable 240,000 refugees is expected to run out in September. They are the last remaining group among the 650,000 refugees who had been receiving food assistance across South Sudan.
The UN agencies warned that an interruption in aid could quickly increase malnutrition, while exposing women and children to greater risks of exploitation and abuse. They also expressed concern that some refugees could be forced to cross borders again in search of food and other basic assistance.
The warning comes as conflict in the region continues to drive people into neighbouring countries. South Sudan is receiving up to 3,000 refugees and returnees from Sudan every week, adding pressure to an already overstretched humanitarian response.
“We are seeing the devastating impact of conflicts that force people from their homes collide with a severe shortage of resources that is now making the crisis worse,” said Adham Effendi, Deputy Country Director for WFP in South Sudan.
“For refugees and host communities, food assistance is often the difference between coping and crisis. Urgent support to save lives and livelihoods is vital – to meet essential needs and reduce long-term dependence on humanitarian assistance.”
WFP said it faces an immediate funding gap of $37 million for its refugee response, while its overall funding shortfall for the remainder of 2026 stands at $258 million. The shortage threatens assistance for 4.2 million food-insecure people across South Sudan.
UNHCR has secured only 28 per cent of the $286 million required this year to provide protection and assistance to nearly four million refugees, internally displaced people, returnees and vulnerable host communities.
The funding crisis comes as South Sudan faces one of the world’s most severe hunger emergencies. More than 7.8 million people, representing over half the country’s population, are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, while 2.2 million children are acutely malnourished.
WFP has already been forced to prioritise assistance for the most vulnerable refugee families, who are receiving only half of a full food ration.
The potential suspension of assistance would come during the rainy season, when food supplies become scarcer, prices rise and flooding and deteriorating roads make humanitarian access more difficult.
Many refugee families are already reducing the size and number of meals they eat, borrowing money to purchase food, selling possessions and cutting spending on healthcare, education and shelter.
“Every week, thousands more refugees and returnees continue to arrive from Sudan with almost nothing, many exhausted, hungry and in urgent need of protection and assistance,” said Mesfin Degefu, UNHCR Deputy Representative in South Sudan.
“At the same time, we see refugees who have been in South Sudan for many years, working to rebuild their lives and move towards greater self-reliance. Cutting assistance now undermines hard-won progress in education, livelihoods and resilience and may force refugee families to make desperate choices, including moving onward along dangerous routes to survive.”
South Sudan has maintained an open-door policy towards refugees despite its own humanitarian and development challenges. More than 1.4 million refugees and returnees have entered the country since war broke out in Sudan in 2023.
UNHCR and WFP have appealed to the international community for immediate and flexible funding to prevent a suspension of lifesaving assistance and support families affected by the wider regional crisis.
