South Sudan: South Sudan's Refugees Escaped War and Other Dangers - Then Came Funding Cuts

What the report says

The World Food Programme and other humanitarian actors are warning that refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan are facing worsening hunger as donor funding declines. The report, published by WFP and distributed by AllAfrica, says many of the refugees arrived after fleeing the war in neighboring Sudan and are now relying on food aid, cash assistance and nutrition services in settlements such as Wedweil in South Sudan’s northwestern border area.

According to the article, WFP has already reduced support and cut remaining rations to cover about 240,000 of the country’s most vulnerable refugees, or roughly one-third of the refugee population. The agency says that without new contributions in the coming weeks, it may end assistance after September. WFP also says it faces a US$37 million gap for its refugee response and a broader US$258 million shortfall for the rest of 2026.

The piece centers on individual refugees, including women trying to rebuild livelihoods through small trading and parents who depend on nutrition support for children. It says the cuts could undercut progress toward self-reliance and deepen hardship in a country already affected by conflict, weather shocks and seasonal food shortages.

The report adds that South Sudan continues to receive new arrivals from Sudan each week, increasing pressure on aid systems. The broader significance is that shrinking humanitarian budgets may force agencies to choose between emergency relief and longer-term recovery efforts in one of Africa’s most food-insecure settings.