Published on: 2026-08-14
Source: United Nations – Объединенные Нации –
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August 14, 2026 Humanitarian Aid
In South Sudan, more than 650,000 refugees and asylum seekers risk losing vital humanitarian assistance due to an acute funding shortage. This warning was issued on Friday by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
If additional funding is not urgently allocated, in September 240,000 refugees who have so far relied on food assistance will receive it for the last time. Previously, 650,000 people received such support, but due to a lack of funds, the program has already been significantly reduced.
UNHCR and WFP warn that the cessation of aid deliveries has immediate and long-term consequences. The risk of malnutrition increases, as well as the threat of exploitation and violence against women and children. Particular concern is raised by the fact that people may be forced to cross borders again in search of food.
The flow of refugees continues
Meanwhile, conflicts continue in the region, causing people to keep leaving their homes and seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
Every week, up to three thousand refugees and returning citizens arrive in South Sudan from Sudan, placing additional pressure on already limited resources.
“For refugees and host communities, food assistance often determines whether they will be able to cope with difficulties or find themselves in a humanitarian crisis,” said Adham Effendi, Deputy Director of WFP in South Sudan.
Funding is catastrophically insufficient
In order to continue supporting refugees, the WFP urgently requires 37 million dollars. The overall funding shortfall of the UN agency through the end of 2026 amounts to 258 million dollars, resulting in 4.2 million people facing acute food shortages across the country potentially being left without aid.
UNHCR, in turn, received only 28 percent of the 286 million dollars needed this year to provide protection and assistance services to nearly 4 million refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees, and members of host communities.
The funding crisis is unfolding amid one of the world’s most severe hunger emergencies. More than 7.8 million people – over half of South Sudan’s population – are facing the highest level of food shortage, and 2.2 million children suffer from acute malnutrition.
Due to funding shortages, the WFP has already been forced to assist only those refugee families who need it most, and they are currently receiving only half of the full food ration.
The most difficult time of the year
Further reduction of aid may occur during the rainy season, when food supplies run low, food prices rise, and flooded and damaged roads increasingly hinder the delivery of humanitarian cargo.
Many refugee families are already forced to eat less and less frequently, as well as borrow money to buy food, sell their few possessions, and cut back on healthcare, education, and housing expenses.
“Every week, thousands of refugees and returnees continue to arrive from Sudan, who have virtually no means of subsistence,” noted Mesfin Degefu, Deputy Representative of UNHCR in South Sudan.
“At the same time, we see refugees who have been living in South Sudan for many years and are trying to rebuild their lives, becoming increasingly self-reliant. A cut in aid now would wipe out the hard-won progress achieved… and could also force refugee families to take desperate measures, including further movement along dangerous routes in order to survive,” he added.
Despite serious internal problems, South Sudan continues to maintain an open-door policy for refugees. Since the start of the war in neighboring Sudan in 2023, more than 1.4 million refugees and returning citizens have arrived in the country.
UNHCR and WFP are urging the international community to urgently provide flexible funding to prevent the disruption of aid deliveries and protect families trapped at the epicenter of the regional crisis.
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