The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has ramped up its emergency response in Akobo County, located in South Sudan's Jonglei State, providing critical food and nutritional support to hundreds of thousands of people facing catastrophic hunger and malnutrition. However, insecurity, damaged infrastructure, and the approaching rainy season continue to hinder operations.
“The situation is critical and demands immediate attention to save lives of people who desperately need assistance,” said Mutinta Chimuka, WFP Country Director in South Sudan, in a statement on Friday.
“Our hope is to continue to reach people in need. Sustained safety and security of humanitarians and humanitarian cargo is therefore crucial to allow us to ramp up assistance and effectively reach all those in need.”
According to the latest update from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), parts of Akobo County are experiencing IPC Phase 5, which indicates catastrophic levels of hunger. This is the highest level before an actual famine. Akobo is one of four counties in Jonglei at risk of famine if conditions deteriorate.
The malnutrition crisis has worsened to an extremely critical level (IPC Acute Malnutrition Phase 5), fueled by displacement, loss of livelihoods, and disruption to health and nutrition services, while overcrowding increases the risk of disease. Severe malnutrition among children under five and breastfeeding mothers is rising sharply, fueling fears that famine-like conditions will develop in the region.
Since launching its emergency response three weeks ago, WFP reports that it has reached more than 60,000 women, children, and men in Akobo County, including over 15,000 individuals who received emergency food assistance. Approximately 168,000 people in the county are estimated to need food assistance.
By the end of this week, a 33-truck convoy operated by the UN agency is expected to deliver over 200 metric tons of food and nutritional supplies, as well as an additional 100 metric tons of emergency relief supplies.
To sustain life-saving operations like these during the rainy season, when roads become impassable, WFP intends to continue delivering aid by air to ensure that assistance reaches isolated communities without interruption.
Over 60 humanitarian flights, including airdrops, airlifts, and United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) passenger flights, have already transported approximately 430 metric tons of essential supplies to the region. UNHAS has also transported over 200 aid workers into and out of the area.
Conflict and displacement drive crisis in Jonglei State
The escalating humanitarian needs in Akobo are closely linked to the broader security crisis unfolding across Jonglei. Ongoing conflict in the state has displaced hundreds of thousands of people in recent months, with more than 100,000 crossing into neighboring Ethiopia.The collapse of local markets due to conflict and looting has severely restricted access to food supplies. During recent fighting, civilian infrastructure has been looted and damaged, cutting off essential health care.
The UN agency warns that renewed fighting is a real risk and stresses that sustained and consistent delivery of critical services and support to communities is paramount for recovery and rebuilding livelihoods. Many vulnerable people are trapped in inaccessible regions where hunger and malnutrition will likely worsen during the fast-approaching lean season.
Although humanitarian access in Akobo has recently improved, delivering life-saving assistance there has relied heavily on costly air operations due to persistent insecurity. The situation in Jonglei remains fragile and highly volatile, characterized by localized violence, active conflict near populated areas, and mounting humanitarian needs.
These conditions in Jonglei State mirror a broader humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, where ongoing armed conflict, displacement, and economic turmoil are driving unprecedented levels of need.
South Sudan's nationwide humanitarian emergency
The situation in South Sudan is becoming increasingly dire. Armed conflict, violence, disease, and natural disasters are wreaking havoc on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people across the country. The situation has left 9.9 million people in need of life-saving assistance, and critical funding shortfalls are exacerbating it.
One major factor behind the worsening situation is the resurgence of violence in several parts of the country. Since the start of 2026, renewed fighting has forced more than 450,000 people to flee, including approximately 110,000 to neighboring Ethiopia. Hostilities have continued to escalate, particularly in Jonglei, as well as in Upper Nile and Unity states.
Since late 2025, the situation in Jonglei, Upper Nile, and several other states has deteriorated to levels not seen since 2017. This deterioration comes as political instability and rising hostilities between armed groups lead to clashes forcing people to flee their homes and restricting humanitarian access.
South Sudan remains at a heightened risk of renewed large-scale violence, with political tensions intensifying and ethnically targeted attacks spreading, particularly in Jonglei, Unity, Upper Nile, and Central Equatoria states. There has also been a surge in human rights violations, including the forced recruitment of children by armed forces.
Human rights monitors have expressed concern that these developments are jeopardizing the country's fragile peace.
Earlier this year, the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, established by the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), warned that political and military leaders are undermining the 2018 Revitalized Peace Agreement. This puts civilians at risk of renewed conflict, mass atrocity crimes, and serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law.
Akobo County is one of the most severe hotspots of food insecurity. However, the crisis extends far beyond Jonglei State, reflecting a nationwide humanitarian emergency that affects millions across South Sudan.
Nationally, food security conditions remain alarming. According to the latest IPC report, over half of South Sudan's population — more than 7.8 million people — are expected to experience crisis-level hunger (IPC Phase 3) or worse between April and July 2026, during the lean season.
Of these children, women, and men, about 2.5 million are experiencing emergency levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 4) — facing significant food shortages and extremely high rates of acute malnutrition. The situation of acute malnutrition in South Sudan continues to deteriorate.
Overall, more than 2.2 million children under five are experiencing acute malnutrition and urgently require nutritional services and treatment. Additionally, an estimated 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women in South Sudan are malnourished.
The latest IPC assessment also identifies localized areas of catastrophic hunger across the country. At least 73,000 people in Nasir and Ulang counties in Upper Nile State and in Akobo, Fangak, Nyirol, and Uror counties in Jonglei State are currently facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 5).
Despite the scale of the crisis, humanitarian operations remain severely underfunded. WFP urgently requires US$266 million to continue providing life-saving food and nutrition assistance, as well as critical logistical support for the wider humanitarian response in South Sudan through the end of the year.
The broader humanitarian response also grapples with a substantial funding shortfall. The $1.46 billion 2026 Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan prioritizes providing targeted assistance to 4.3 million of the most vulnerable people. However, to date, the plan has only received $367 million, which is a mere 25 percent of what is needed.