South Sudan Acute Food Insecurity JR - Programme

People in parts of South Sudan face the highest levels of food insecurity since independence was declared a decade ago. Since mid-2019, South Sudan has experienced two consecutive years of flooding that affected more than 900,000 people in 2019 and over 1 million people in 2020. The arrival of COVID-19 and an upsurge in sub-national violence in 2020 causing disruption to the delivery of humanitarian assistance has erased earlier gains made in food security. According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projections, from December to March 2021, an estimated 5.8 million people (48% of the population) faced Crisis levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3) or worse - a figure that is expected to increase to 7.2 million (60% of the population) in the lean season of April-July 2021. Moreover, Akobo, Aweil South, Tonj East, Tonj North and Tonj South, and some payams in Pibor are classified as Famine Likely (IPC Phase 5). In these Priority 1 locations, 810,000 people are deemed to be in Crisis or worse levels of food insecurity (IPC Phase 3+), while 108,000 people are projected in IPC Phase 5. While the humanitarian operational space remains significantly challenged and highly restricted due to persisting insecurity and is likely to be further restricted by seasonal flooding in the coming period, urgent action is required to revert/prevent widespread death and total collapse of livelihoods in these priority locations. Save the Children, as part of the Dutch relief Alliance Joint Response, will focus on providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable households.