Funding shortfall threatens food aid for over 650,000 South Sudan refugees
More than 650,000 refugees in South Sudan may lose their food assistance within weeks because of a severe funding gap, UN agencies warned.
UN officials announced that a critical funding shortfall puts the food aid of more than 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan at risk of being discontinued within weeks. The World Food Programme and the UN refugee agency said the final shipments for the most vulnerable 240,000 recipients are planned for September, after which no assistance would be available if new money is not secured. Deputy country director Adham Effendi said the situation is already a reality, not a future scenario, while UNHCR deputy representative Mesfin Degefu warned that by October all refugee food support could cease.
The crisis comes as South Sudan endures one of the world’s worst hunger emergencies, with over 7.8 million people facing acute food insecurity and 2.2 million children severely malnourished. The agencies need $37 million to keep operations running through December, and have only received 28 % of the $286 million required for the year.
Why it matters
Hundreds of thousands of displaced people could face starvation without urgent international funding.
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