The UN health agency stressed that the humanitarian, economic, social and political crises that began in 2013 with a brutal civil conflict have been exacerbated by the recent influx of refugees from Sudan following the war between rival armies there – with more than 650,000 new arrivals since April 2023.
Currently, nearly six million people (46 percent of the population) are facing a food insecurity crisis, a number expected to rise to around 7.1 million during the current lean season.
El Niño and floods
The WHO The report also highlighted that the 2023-2024 El Niño weather phenomenon – one of the strongest ever recorded – brought dry conditions and erratic rainfall, significantly impacting harvests.
It also led to year-round flooding in areas that had previously not been affected.
Severe flooding, recurring violence, weak governance, poverty and lack of infrastructure have created a complex humanitarian crisis that is hampering South Sudan’s development, the UN health agency has warned.
A staggering 8.9 million people, mostly in flood and conflict-affected areas, have been affectedwith women, children, the elderly and people with disabilities at greater risk.
UNHCR’s first ever Forced Displacement Survey (FDS)
A pilot household questionnaire by the UN refugee agency (UN refugee agency) on Monday underlined the dire conditions, revealing alarming levels of suffering among both refugees and host communities.
The Forced Displacement Survey (FDS) was conducted between April and December 2023 and included approximately 3,100 households in South Sudan.
This revealed that all communities face many challenges, including limited services, high unemployment, lack of education, poor infrastructure and overcrowded reception centres.
74 percent of households suffer from hunger
Food is a big problem with 74 percent of both refugee and host community households experience hunger in the past month.
And More than 40 percent of both groups had a lower income than the previous year. Refugees from Sudan’s crisis have exacerbated already volatile areas and overstretched services. The conflict has also impacted South Sudan’s economy by closing its main oil pipeline.
Marie-Helene Verney, UNHCR Representative in South Sudan, said that “we must link humanitarian aid as much as possible with stabilization and development programmes…Substantial long-term investments are crucial to improve the well-being of refugees and the communities that host them.”
South Sudan has more than 460,000 refugees from Sudan, DRC and Ethiopia.
With the conflict in Sudan, South Sudan receives 1,600 people daily including refugees and returnees. The FDS provides comprehensive socio-economic data on refugees and host communities to inform programming and policy. These data are essential to target aid where it matters most and to bridge the gap between humanitarian and development aid.
