Crisis overview
Conflict and displacement: Conflict broke out on 15 December in South Sudan. Fighting between government and opposition forces especially affects Upper Nile, Jonglei, and Unity states. As of 27 March, over one million South Sudanese have been displaced by the conflict, including 803,200 IDPs, of which half a million are hosted in Upper Nile, Unity and Jonglei states.
Regional dimensions: As of 27 March, over 250,000 South Sudanese refugees are in neighbouring countries. There are 2,500 new South Sudanese refugees in the disputed Sudan–South Sudan border area of Abyei.
Sectors of particular concern: Food and nutrition, health, WASH and protection.
Food insecure areas: A joint report by WFP and FAO found that the states most affected by the conflict (Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity) were also the most food insecure prior to the conflict. The food security outlook is increasingly alarming in these three states and unlikely to improve in the short term.
Funding remains one of the most critical gaps in the response effort. The necessity of airdrops for food distribution to inaccessible areas, which is three times more expensive than road transport, and “inspection fees” charged at checkpoints, are increasing delivery costs of humanitarian aid. Critics state that the humanitarian crisis could worsen as a result of slow international response and slow access to emergency funds.
Poor humanitarian access: Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly stated that access remains a critical challenge, particularly in Upper Nile, Unity and Jonglei, where the security situation is volatile and unpredictable. The early onset of the rainy season in mid-March (usually March to October), is likely to cut off roads and further impede humanitarian access.