It's 'time to act" to address South Sudan's humanitarian crisis, OCHA tells Security Council
Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in South Sudan by Edem Wosornu, Director, Operations and Advocacy for OCHA, on behalf of Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator
As delivered
Mr. President, members of the Security Council,
Thank you for the opportunity to update you on the humanitarian situation in South Sudan, and as raised by SRSG Haysom, the country continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis driven by what can only be described as a 'perfect storm' of stressors.
South Sudan is indeed in the grips of a growing food insecurity crisis, a climate crisis and an economic crisis, all while suffering the impact of the conflict in Sudan and dwindling financial support for the humanitarian response.
Without immediate action, things will only get even worse in the weeks and months ahead.
As we speak, more than 9 million people – or 76 per cent of South Sudan's population – require humanitarian protection and assistance. Of them, 54 per cent are children and 24 per cent are women.
A total of 7.1 million people are acutely food insecure, an increase of around 1.5 million people since last year.
Additionally, 2.5 million children and women are at risk of acute malnutrition, a number projected to reach 2.7 million by December due to the impact of the crisis in Sudan.
Mid-year projections by our food security experts suggested that flooding combined with conflict could result in pockets of famine between June 2024 and January 2025.
Worryingly, Mr. President, we are already seeing the impact of flooding, again, SRSG Haysom mentioned.
Heavy rains since May, as well as the calculated release of water from Lake Victoria, have led to increased Nile River levels, with floods so far impacting up to 300,000 people.
At the peak of the flood season, anticipated between September and October, flooding could impact up to 3.3 million people. This includes communities yet to recover from the devastating floods which occurred between 2019 and 2022, and which displaced more than 1 million people each year.
The Flood Preparedness and Response plan for June to December 2024, developed by the Government of South Sudan and humanitarian partners, seeks to assist 2.4 million people at an estimated cost of $264 million.
I am pleased that the Government of South Sudan has committed $76 million – 28 per cent of the total amount required – for immediate mitigation and preparedness actions.
If the worst effects of the flooding are to be avoided and addressed, support from donors will be critical.
Mr. President,
South Sudan’s humanitarian plight is also being exacerbated by a deepening economic crisis.
This has been largely triggered by the cessation since February 2024 of most oil exports through Sudan, following the damage of the pipeline due to the conflict.
Between January and July, the South Sudanese pound (SSP) depreciated by more than 70 per cent, drastically eroding the purchasing power of individuals and households, and making basic commodities unaffordable for many.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, annual inflation reached 97 per cent in June, with unbalanced rises in the cost of staple food items like sorghum and wheat flour.
This has caused families to reduce the number of meals taken in a day, with – as is often the case – women and children bearing the brunt, eating the least and last. Conditions are so desperate that some people are having to rely on wild vegetables and desert dates for sustenance.
The economic crisis, compounded by new fuel taxes introduced in February, also severely hampered humanitarian operations in April and May before an exemption was granted.
Mr. President,
Since I last briefed this Council on South Sudan in September 2023, the impact of the conflict in neighbouring Sudan has continued to worsen.
South Sudan is the country worst hit by the displacement crisis caused by the conflict next door – after Chad.
Almost 780,000 people have fled to South Sudan since the fighting began on 15 April 2023. More than 580,000 of these numbers are South Sudanese returnees.
Many are arriving in areas already deprioritized for assistance. They are often malnourished, in poor physical condition, and require immediate life-saving assistance.
The majority are women and children, many of whom require specialized support from the effects of trauma and gender-based violence.
The intensifying conflict in Darfur and eastern Sudan threaten to exacerbate the situation.
Mr. President, distinguished members of the Council,
Despite the challenges in South Sudan, the humanitarian community continues to deliver assistance.
In the first half of 2024, more than 2.6 million of the 6 million people targeted for support in the humanitarian response plan received some form of food, livelihood or cash assistance.
More than 820,000 people were provided with health care services. More than 200,000 people received protection services, such as psychosocial counselling and access to safe spaces for women and children. And almost 600,000 people had access to safe water supplies.
In addition, since mid-April 2023, more than 210,000 returnees have received support to return to their homes or to relocate to other destinations of their choice.
The already desperate situation is being further compounded by humanitarian access constraints, most notably insecurity.
Mr. President, members of the Council,
As we prepare to mark World Humanitarian Day next week, it is worth reminding the Council that South Sudan unfortunately remains one of the most dangerous places for humanitarians to operate.
In the first half of 2024, 237 humanitarian access incidents were reported. Of these, 111 incidents – 46 per cent of the total – involved violence against humanitarian personnel and humanitarian assets. Four humanitarian aid workers have been killed in the line of duty since 2023.
And convoys carrying life-saving supplies were subjected to illegal taxation and looting. This year, 30 incidents of looting at humanitarian facilities have been reported, a significant rise from a total of 32 incidents reported in the whole of last year.
Following the fuel crunch in April and May, critical food drops by the World Food Programme were halted, affecting 144,000 people.
The UN Humanitarian Air Service’s flight frequency was also halved during that period, hindering critical missions to some of the most hard-to-reach field locations.
Mr. President,
Despite all this, humanitarian partners have been able to continue delivering assistance due to the generous support of donors. We are grateful, but we need more.
However, underfunding continues to hamper an adequate and timely response. In 2024, only $561 million – representing 31 per cent of the $1.8 billion needed under the Humanitarian Response Plan for 2024 – has been received.
Some service areas are now on the verge of failure.
The Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH), and the Shelter and Non-Food Items pipelines are projected to collapse this month.
The failure of a safe water treatment stock pipeline will leave 1.2 million people without essential water, sanitation and hygiene services ahead of the severe flooding that is predicted.
Allocations from the OCHA-managed pooled funds have kept some essential frontline services afloat: $10 million has been released from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and $26 million from the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund. However, more donor support for the humanitarian response is desperately needed.
Mr. President,
Despite the bleak outlook in South Sudan, there is still a window of opportunity to act.
Addressing the humanitarian situation in the country demands immediate, concerted and decisive action on multiple fronts:
One, helping South Sudan to achieve political and economic stability.
Two, addressing and mitigating the impacts of the war in Sudan.
Three, taking advantage of the know-how and strong in-country humanitarian capacity to tackle food insecurity; help South Sudan prepare for severe flooding in support of the Government; and deliver a humanitarian response commensurate with the huge levels of need.
Every delay costs lives. The humanitarian funding shortfalls are not just numbers; they translate into supply lines empty of food, untreated malnutrition, and unmet needs for basic shelter and sanitation.
Finally, Mr. President,
I urge all member states to reinforce their commitment to peace and stability in South Sudan. The pathway to recovery is through sustained investment in resilience and indeed development.
The time to act is now.
Thank you.