Key Messages
Nearly 2.4 million people face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) food insecurity and 1.1 million people face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) food insecurity in South Sudan, roughly 30 percent of the population. Nearly half of the population in Crisis and 70 percent of those in Emergency are located in Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile states.
Market disruption, reduced food and income sources, and widespread displacement have resulted in significant food consumption gaps in the conflict-affected areas of Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile states. Although humanitarian agencies are making efforts to scale up assistance, access remains limited and in some of the worst-affected areas no food assistance has been delivered.
In addition to expectations of reduced cultivation because of insecurity and seed scarcity, current forecasts suggest an increased likelihood of below-average rainfall between June and August. This could further depress October to December harvests.
Food security is expected to deteriorate over the coming two months, with over 1 million people in Emergency (IPC Phase 4) by August in Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile. If gaps in humanitarian assistance persist, Famine (IPC Phase 5) is possible in localized areas of Unity and Jonglei states. Improvements in food security following green harvests in August are likely to be short-lived as production is expected to be well below average. If conflict continues, harvests are poor and humanitarian assistance remains limited, food insecurity in 2015 could be worse than this year.