More than half of South Sudan’s children are expected to face hunger by mid-2026 due to a deadly mix of conflict, climate change and poverty and as the risk of famine looms in some areas, said Save the Children.
The latest figures from the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) – the leading global authority on the severity of hunger crises – show that next April, between planting and harvesting, about 3.5 million children – 53% - will be facing acute hunger (IPC Phase 3 or worse), up from 42% (2.8 million) currently.
Slightly fewer children are expected to face IPC3 or worse between next April and July compared to the same period this year but conflict and a deadly cholera outbreak has led to critical deteriorations in some areas with parts of Upper Nile state at risk of famine.
More than 2.1 million children under five and over 1 million pregnant and breastfeeding women are expected to be at risk of acute malnutrition by June 2026.
Six consecutive years of flooding, combined with aid cuts, conflict, and constraints on aid access due to violence and flooding has exacerbated one of the world’s worst hunger crises.
A continued influx of people fleeing devastating conflict in neighbouring Sudan has further strained South Sudan’s food markets and services with Save the Children reporting in October that newly arrived refugees were forced to forage for food and eat leaves to survive.
Chris Nyamandi, Country Director for Save the Children in South Sudan, said:
“It is deeply concerning that children in South Sudan continue to pay the price of one of the world’s worst hunger crises, while aid cuts have disrupted what Save the Children and other partners can do to respond.
“The world cannot become immune to the situation facing children in South Sudan. We cannot normalise a situation where again more than half of South Sudan’s children face hunger, and more than 2 million children under-five are acutely malnourished.
“Resolving extreme hunger is down to political choices – the latest IPC report shows that hunger has improved in some areas where security and access for humanitarian actors is currently better. But this improvement needs to be widespread and sustained. Children who have done nothing to contribute to the country’s dire hunger situation are always the most vulnerable in food crises. The government in South Sudan has a role in finding long term solutions, while international actors need to take urgent action on climate change and reverse global aid cuts before it’s too late for South Sudan’s children.”
Save the Children has worked in South Sudan since 1991, when it was part of Sudan. The child rights organisation provides children with access to education, healthcare and nutritional support, and families with food security and livelihoods assistance.
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MEDIA CONTACT: media.team@savethechildren.org.au