650,000 refugees in South Sudan could lose food aid within weeks, says UN

The United Nations warns that over 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers in South Sudan may lose access to food aid within weeks due to a severe funding shortfall. This crisis arises as South Sudan grapples with one of the world's worst hunger crises, with more than 7.8 million people, constituting more than half the country's population, facing acute food insecurity.

The situation is exacerbated by 2.2 million children who are acutely malnourished. The World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Refugee Agency project that the last food distributions for the most vulnerable 240,000 refugees in South Sudan would occur in September, should new funding not be secured urgently. This alarming development is already in progress, as the WFP has had to progressively reduce assistance due to funding constraints, providing only half-rations to the affected individuals.

UNHCR deputy representative Mesfin Degefu stated that without sufficient funding, no refugees in South Sudan will receive food assistance from October. Families are already resorting to drastic measures, including reducing meals, selling possessions, withdrawing children from school, and accumulating debt to survive. Women and children are particularly at risk of exploitation and abuse, with some refugees even requesting UNHCR's assistance to facilitate returns, despite the UNHCR deeming conditions in Sudan unsafe for return.

The organization has only received 28% of the US$286 million it requires for refugee operations this year, and the funding gap of US$37 million between October and December threatens food assistance for about 180,000 internally displaced people and could lead to the loss of life-saving support for 600,000 people residing in famine-risk areas by November.

UNHCR warns that the funding crisis also jeopardizes efforts to assist refugees in becoming self-reliant through farming, vocational training, and other livelihood programs.