South Sudan

Protection of civilians

Conflict and insecurity continue to be significant drivers of people's needs in South Sudan. Sub-national and intercommunal violence, crime, and impunity resulted in widespread displacement and hindered access to vital services.

The people of South Sudan, especially women and children, experience a severe protection crisis. Levels of violence, exploitation, and abuse are notably high, including conflict related sexual violence, gender-based violence (GBV), and growing child protection concerns. The 2.2 million¹ internally displaced persons (IDPs) represent the world's fourth most neglected displacement crisis, including over 37,000² IDPs in the Malakal Protection of Civilians site. Concurrently, South Sudan grapples with Africa's largest refugee crisis, with over 2.2 million South Sudanese refugees hosted in neighbouring countries³. With the onset of the Sudan crisis in April 2023 and a combination of violence and the cessation of food distribution in parts of Ethiopia, thousands of people returned to South Sudan, many of whom are highly vulnerable and arriving in critically underdeveloped areas.⁴ UNHCR estimates that, by the beginning of 2024, an estimated 520,000 returnees from Sudan will have arrived in South Sudan since the outbreak of the Sudan crisis.⁵

These regional tensions have affected South Sudan's economy, resulting in a surge in food prices and other essential commodities. Furthermore, the already weakened coping capacities in many destination counties for returnees are likely to exacerbate protection risks, vulnerabilities, food insecurity, and acute humanitarian needs for both the local population and returning individuals.

Food insecurity

People’s food security situation has deteriorated due to multiple shocks, including flooding, ongoing conflict, displacement, and a high cost of living. As per the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) of October 2023, approximately 7.1 million individuals of South Sudan's total population of 12.4 million are projected to face crisis-level or more severe acute food insecurity during the lean season from April to July 2024⁶. The most likely affected regions include Jonglei, Unity, parts of Upper Nile, northern Warrap, Eastern Equatoria, Lakes, and Northern Bahr el Ghazal states. Pockets of catastrophic food insecurity (IPC Phase 5) projected in Pibor in Jonglei State and Aweil East in Northern Bahr el Ghazal State are of particular concern.

Malnutrition rates remain high among children and women in South Sudan. The 2023 Food Security and Nutrition Monitoring System (FSNMS) and Standardized Monitoring and Assessment of Relief and Transitions (SMART) survey findings estimate Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) levels above the World Health Organization (WHO) emergency threshold of 15 percent in 46 out of the 79 counties, with over 2.5 million children and women at risk of acute malnutrition in 2024. Contributing factors to this include high food insecurity, poor water and hygiene conditions, high child morbidity rates, GBV concerns, and poor child feeding and caring practices. Eighteen counties experience extreme deprivation, further compounding the nutrition crisis.

Climate change

South Sudan faces severe climate vulnerabilities, ranking as the second most vulnerable country globally to natural hazards according to the 2023 INFORM Risk Index. The country stands among the top five most climate-vulnerable countries.⁷ An estimated 95 percent of the population depends on climate-sensitive livelihoods, increasing their risk of reduced access to water, sanitation challenges, and food insecurity due to climate change.⁸ Climate-driven challenges increase competition and resource conflict, necessitating urgent adaptation measures to address long-term structural changes.

Alterations in rainy season patterns triggered severe flooding from 2019 to 2022, resulting in increased population vulnerability and infrastructure damage. In 2022 alone, over 1 million people were affected by flooding in South Sudan.⁹ Climate-induced drought-like conditions strain rural communities reliant on subsistence farming and pastoralism, affecting their access to water resources and production.¹⁰

Limited access to basic social services

Only 7 percent of South Sudanese have electricity, 10 percent access improved sanitation, and 70 percent lack basic healthcare services.¹¹ The national budget allocation for health care is 8 percent, and only 35 percent of the population has access to potable water. About 60 percent of people practice open defecation, risking contamination of water sources.