South Sudan: 'Super El Niño' Deepens Hunger Crisis in South Sudan - WFP

What the report says

The UN World Food Programme says South Sudan’s hunger emergency is worsening as conflict, severe weather and shrinking humanitarian funding combine to leave millions short of food. In a report carried by UN News and distributed by AllAfrica, WFP warned on Tuesday that the situation is becoming more critical for people already facing high levels of acute food insecurity.

According to the account, 7.8 million people in South Sudan are struggling to get enough to eat, while 2.2 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women need urgent nutrition support. WFP Assistant Executive Director Matthew Hollingworth said the effects of a “super El Niño” are already visible, with drought damaging crops and reducing yields even in productive farming areas.

The article also links the crisis to fighting in Sudan, which continues to send refugees and returning South Sudanese across the border. WFP said about 3,000 people each week are arriving in South Sudan, often after long and difficult journeys. Those arrivals are adding pressure on communities that are already under strain.

The agency further warned that aid delivery is being slowed by access problems and extra costs, including checkpoints and informal taxes along river transport routes. WFP said as many as 1 million vulnerable people could lose food and nutrition assistance by October if additional resources are not secured. The broader significance is that climate shocks, displacement and conflict are reinforcing one another across the region, deepening food insecurity beyond South Sudan as well.