South Sudan Faces Famine Risk Amid Conflict Surge

2026-02-09 global

juba, Monday, 9 February 2026.
Escalating violence in South Sudan threatens a million with extreme food insecurity, as 280,000 have already fled since December 2025. Aid operations are crippled and 84% of the population needs help.

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens

The humanitarian situation in South Sudan is rapidly deteriorating, exacerbated by renewed fighting in Jonglei and Walgak [1]. This escalation has not only forced families to flee their homes but also led to the looting of health facilities and aid agencies, including Oxfam, resulting in the suspension of critical services [1]. The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, has strongly condemned the surge in violence, highlighting that nearly 10 million people in South Sudan require life-saving assistance [3][8]. The situation is further compounded by the targeting of humanitarian operations, making it increasingly difficult to deliver aid to those in need [3].

Displacement and Vulnerability

Since late December 2025, over 280,000 people have been displaced, with 75% being women and children [1]. These individuals are sheltering in minimal conditions, facing increased risks of starvation and disease [1]. The UN reports that over 370,000 people have been displaced in South Sudan so far in 2026, including over 280,000 in Jonglei State [3]. Women escaping the conflict are particularly vulnerable to trauma, further compounding the crisis [1].

Impact on Aid Delivery

Attacks on humanitarian operations are crippling efforts to provide essential services. Since late December 2025, at least 11 healthcare facilities have been attacked in Jonglei State, with 12 vehicles seized, including an ambulance [3][8]. Recent incidents include repeated attacks on a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy, an airstrike on a Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) hospital, and the burning of a Save the Children field office and destruction of its health centre [3][8]. Shabnam Baloch, Oxfam’s South Sudan Country Director, emphasized the dire conditions, stating that families are being forcibly displaced into areas where conditions are already desperate, with many at risk of starvation and forced to drink contaminated water [1].

Root Causes and Long-Term Instability

The protracted conflict in South Sudan is rooted in weak institutions, exclusionary governance, militarized politics, historical grievances, and the collapse of social trust [4]. The 2018 Revitalised Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan (R-ARCSS) was intended to address these structural issues, but its implementation has been challenging [4]. The ongoing violence and political instability continue to undermine the peace process and exacerbate the humanitarian crisis [7]. As Richard Orengo, IRC South Sudan Country Director, noted on 2026-02-08, South Sudan is at a breaking point, with alarming levels of acute malnutrition driven by conflict, unreliable climatic conditions, rising prices, and repeated interruptions to aid [5].

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food crisis south sudan