Highlights
Since fighting erupted in South Sudan in mid December, the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has reported that approximately 494,000 people have been displaced, with approximately 67,400 seeking refuge in UN compounds.
WFP launched an Emergency Operation (EMOP 200659) in order to respond to urgent food requirements of displaced and conflicted affected groups in South Sudan. Contributions are urgently required in order to begin urgent food procurement actions including drawing upon WFP mechanisms such as the Forward Purchase Facility.
As of 20 January, WFP has scaled up to reach some 178,000 people displaced as a result of the crisis.
Humanitarian access and looting of stocks are key operational concerns. As of 20 January, WFP estimates that it may have lost more than 5,100 metric tonnes (mt) of food — enough to feed up to 306,000 people for a month — as a result of lootings reported at WFP facilities around the country. WFP continues to verify reports of looting as well as to recover lost stocks where possible. Additional prepositioned stocks remain at high risk.