JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN – A convergence of persistent armed conflict, severe climate impacts, and a refugee influx from neighboring Sudan has plunged South Sudan into a catastrophic humanitarian emergency, placing millions at risk of starvation and violence.

• Widespread Humanitarian Need – According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), an estimated 9 million people—approximately 75% of the country’s population—require humanitarian assistance in 2025.
• Acute Food Insecurity – The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) analysis reports that 7.7 million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above), with tens of thousands facing famine-like conditions (IPC Phase 5).
• Massive Displacement Crisis – The nation is grappling with over 2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and has received over 700,000 new arrivals, mostly refugees and returnees, fleeing the conflict in neighboring Sudan since April 2023.

The situation in the world’s youngest nation remains one of the most severe global crises. International aid agencies are struggling to meet the immense needs, which are driven by a complex combination of interconnected challenges.

What is Fueling the Widespread Hunger?

The food crisis in South Sudan is the result of several overlapping factors. Years of sub-national and localized conflict have consistently disrupted agricultural activities, preventing communities from planting or harvesting crops. This violence destroys markets and blocks humanitarian access to vulnerable populations.

Exacerbating the situation are extreme weather events driven by climate change. The country has endured four consecutive years of historic flooding, which has submerged vast areas of farmland and displaced entire communities. This is coupled with periods of severe drought in other regions, creating an environment where food production is nearly impossible for many. The economic crisis, marked by high inflation and reliance on fluctuating oil revenues, has further diminished the purchasing power of ordinary citizens, making basic food items unaffordable.

How Does Ongoing Violence Impact Civilians?

While the 2018 peace agreement largely ended the nation’s civil war, violence has not ceased. Intercommunal clashes, often over resources like cattle and land, remain deadly and frequent. These localized conflicts continue to drive displacement, forcing families to flee their homes with little notice and leaving them without shelter, food, or safety.

The influx of refugees from Sudan has added another layer of complexity. The arrivals, many of whom are South Sudanese who had previously fled to Sudan, are arriving in border areas that are already facing extreme resource scarcity. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), this has placed an immense strain on host communities and humanitarian operations, which were already underfunded and overstretched.

What is the Status of the Nation’s First Election?

South Sudan is meant to be transitioning toward its first-ever democratic elections, a key pillar of the Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS). However, the process has faced significant delays.

The elections, originally scheduled for December 2024, were postponed due to the failure to meet critical benchmarks outlined in the peace deal. Key unimplemented tasks include the drafting of a permanent constitution, the unification of various armed factions into a professional national army, and the establishment of necessary electoral and legal institutions. International partners continue to press for progress, but a new date for the vote remains uncertain as the country struggles to create the stable and secure conditions required for a credible electoral process.