World’s largest hunger crisis in South Sudan amidst a forgotten war

By Naomi Muriithi

World’s largest hunger crisis in South Sudan amidst a forgotten war

Africa’s South Sudan is at risk of facing the world’s largest hunger crisis as about 9 million of its 11 million population face food insecurity, a UN body has warned. The situation is becoming of increasing concern as the number has been constantly rising for several years now, going up by 20% in 2024 compared to mid-2023.

Levels of hunger in South Sudan

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, in 2024 approximately 5.83 million South Sudanese will experience severe food insecurity which is the highest level of food insecurity.

Although the number has decreased from 8.3 million in 2022, the situation remains dire with about 46% of the country’s population still being unable to afford a meal. This is the highest percentage globally of people experiencing a hunger crisis.

Humanitarian organizations state that at least 7.1 million people in South Sudan are malnourished and will need relief food support this year. It is anticipated that two million lactating women and children under the age of five will suffer acute malnutrition this year, intensifying the need for humanitarian assistance, UNICEF has warned.

This devastating hunger catastrophe could result in the death of pregnant women and mothers and risk a lifetime of developmental challenges in children under five.

Conflict exacerbates hunger

Torn apart by political conflicts and ongoing waves of violence, South Sudan has seen over 2.3 million of its people internally displaced. In addition, the country is host to about 692,000 refugees from the neighboring conflict-hit Sudan, most of whom escaped the violence with no belongings and are dependent on the already struggling host communities for food. Thus, South Sudan is being forced to deal with the largest refugee crisis in Africa and the fifth largest in the world.

Photo Credit: REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra/File Photo

Commenting on the situation, Marie-Helene Verney, UN’s Acting Humanitarian Coordinator to South Sudan, said:

“As the weeks go by, people arrive with less and less resources and in increasingly worse states of health, with malnutrition also on the rise among new arrivals as conditions in Sudan deteriorate further.”

Moreover, with these two neighboring nations in conflict, food production has been stifled which has resulted in high food prices, food insecurity, and hyperinflation. South Sudan’s currency lost 60% of its value between 2021 and 2022.

Climate change further deepens hunger

The European Commission’s 2023 INFORM Risk Index ranks South Sudan as the second most vulnerable country to natural hazards and climate change. Meteorological data from the last 50 years indicates that air temperature in the country has risen by about 1 degree Celsius.

Increasingly recurrent extreme weather events, including prolonged droughts and floods, have displaced entire communities and destroyed crops, heightening food insecurity. For instance, in 2022, South Sudan faced devastating floods after the River Nile reached its highest point in 70 years, affecting over 1 million people.

See also: The water crisis in South Sudan: A ticking time bomb

This vicious cycle of calamities has made it impossible for subsistence farming to thrive and, since 95% of South Sudanese depend on agriculture, their livelihoods are therefore constantly threatened.

Aid is far from being enough

Although the hunger crisis in South Sudan is worsening, sustainable measures are being implemented to mitigate the threat of extreme levels of hunger and malnutrition.

By mid-2024, approximately US$350.7 million in humanitarian aid had been provided to South Sudan – about 19.6% of the total funding required this year.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs predicts that the country will need a total of US$1.8 billion in humanitarian aid in 2024.