(MENAFN) A recent report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has cautioned that more than half of South Sudan’s population could experience crisis-level or worse food insecurity during the 2026 lean season.

This projection translates to roughly 7.56 million people at risk of hunger from April to July, with over 2 million children likely to suffer from acute malnutrition.

The report highlights that extreme food insecurity in South Sudan is largely fueled by localized conflict and growing civil instability, which have forced large numbers of people to flee their homes, along with widespread flooding that continues to disrupt agriculture and livelihoods.

Currently, about 5.97 million people, representing 42% of the population, are facing severe food shortages between September and November. This includes 1.3 million in emergency conditions (IPC Phase 4) and 28,000 in catastrophic conditions (IPC Phase 5), with Luakpiny/Nasir County in the Upper Nile region at risk of famine under a worst-case scenario, according to reports from UN agencies and the South Sudanese government.

“The hunger we are witnessing in South Sudan partly stems from disrupted agricultural seasons and agri-food systems that are sufficient to meet the country’s food needs,” said Meshack Malo, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) representative in South Sudan.

“Achieving lasting peace and revitalizing agri-food systems are essential to ending hunger. When fields are cultivated and markets are restored, families will reclaim their dignity,” he added.

The report also stressed that humanitarian access remains a major challenge. In many regions, insecurity, looting, poor infrastructure, and flooding have left communities cut off for months, preventing essential aid from reaching those most in need and increasing their vulnerability.

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