Food insecurity and famine in South Sudan

Food insecurity has been a big problem in South Sudan since it became a country in 2011. At first, things changed a lot between being okay and being very hard, especially near the border with Sudan. Even when there was good rain and good harvests in 2012, the civil war that started in December 2013 made things much worse. The war stopped people from farming, made many people leave their homes, and made it very hard for people to get enough food. By 2014 and 2015, about one third of the people in South Sudan did not have enough food.

Things got even harder in 2016 because of fighting, a weak economy, high prices for food, and trouble getting help to people who needed it. In February 2017, famine was declared in parts of Unity and Northern Bahr el Ghazal States. About 4.9 million people needed help right away, and more than one million children were not getting enough nutrition to be healthy. Help from other countries stopped the famine by mid-2017, but many people still did not have enough food.

From 2018 on, between 5 million and 6 million people often did not have enough food. This was because of ongoing danger, people being forced to leave their homes, a weak economy, unpredictable rain, flooding, and pests on crops. Even after the civil war ended, not having enough food stayed a big problem, affecting more than half the people in some years. Even when things got a little better, new fighting, bad weather, a worse economy, and people coming back home or fleeing from Sudan made things worse again in 2024 and 2025, with about 6 million people still not having enough food.

Background

Famine globally

Before 2017, no famine had been officially declared anywhere in the world for six years. That year, there were warnings that famine might happen soon in Yemen, Somalia, and northeastern Nigeria. To officially say a famine has happened, certain conditions must be met:

• 20% of families must have very little food.
• 30% of people must be very weak from not getting enough food.
• At least one person in every 5,000 must die each day.

If a famine is declared, it means people are already dying from hunger.

1998 famine in the region

Before South Sudan became its own country, the area suffered from the 1998 Sudan famine. Bahr el Ghazal was hit the hardest. This famine happened because of a two-year drought, a stop to aid flights, limits on people moving around, and the taking of cows and destruction of food stores.

Unity State had looting, burning, and people forced to leave their homes during fights over oil in the years before the 1998 famine, as part of the Second Sudanese Civil War.

Insecurity

The South Sudanese Civil War began in 2013 between the government and opposition groups, causing many people to be forced from their homes. This fighting made it hard for people to reach their farms, grazing land, and fishing spots. More than 3 million people were displaced, and many families had to leave their farms and animals, leaving them with little food.

Reduced agricultural production

The fighting that started in 2013 also hurt farming across the country. Fewer farms were working, and many families who farmed had to leave. The number of people farming dropped over time because they lost their tools or had to leave their land.

Inflation and poverty

High prices in South Sudan were caused by the government printing too much money. Prices rose very high in 2016 but started to fall a bit the next year. These high prices made it hard for families to buy even basic food.

Climate change

While fighting was the main reason for the lack of food in South Sudan, changes in the weather also played a part. The country had long droughts, less rain, and hotter temperatures. Over the past 30 years, temperatures rose faster here than almost anywhere else in the world, and rainfall dropped, making the land drier. Some areas did not get any rain for two years.

These dry conditions led to more food shortages, loss of animals, people being forced to move, and a great need for help.

Food insecurity

Early food insecurity

Since becoming a country in 2011, South Sudan has often struggled with not having enough food. At first, about 24.5% of people didn’t have enough to eat. Things got worse when a civil war started in December 2013. The war made it hard for farmers to grow food, and many people had to leave their homes. This made food even harder to find.

Deteriorating food insecurity

By 2015, more than 3.9 million people—about a third of the country—didn’t have enough food. The war, high food prices, and poor weather made things worse. By 2016, about 4.3 million people were seriously affected. Children suffered a lot, with many not getting enough healthy food to grow properly.

Famine

In February 2017, the United Nations said that parts of South Sudan were facing a famine. About 4.9 million people needed help right away, and many were in danger of starving. Help from other countries and groups slowly made things a little better, but millions were still struggling.

Continued food insecurity after the famine

Even after the famine ended, food problems continued. By 2018, nearly half the country’s people were struggling to get enough food. Wars, bad weather, and economic problems kept making things worse. By 2022, the number of people without enough food went down a bit, but in 2024, it got worse again because of more wars and flooding.

After the civil war

In 2020, about half of South Sudan’s people didn’t have enough food. The COVID-19 pandemic made things harder. By 2025, millions were still struggling, especially because of more wars and flooding.

Effects

Many young children in South Sudan were suffering from severe hunger. This was because of serious problems getting enough food, fighting that made it hard for families to grow crops, and poor health conditions. In some areas, more than one in five children were not getting enough nutrition, which is a big problem.

The difficult months between May and July, together with ongoing fighting, made the situation even worse. By September, about 6.1 million people — nearly 60 percent of the country — were facing extreme hunger. Experts said this was one of the hardest years ever. They stressed that ending the conflict and keeping peace was essential to help people grow food and improve their lives.

Responses (2017)

When a serious shortage of food was announced, many groups worked to help. But there were big problems. Fighting made it hard for people to get to places where food was given out. Sometimes, soldiers took food meant for families.

Leaders from around the world stepped in to help. The United Nations reached four million people with lots of food and money to buy more. They set up special centers to help children who were very hungry. The World Food Programme also worked hard to prevent more areas from running out of food.

Countries like the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Canada gave millions of dollars to help families in need.

Responses (2018)

United Nations

Many United Nations leaders thought that fighting in the country caused many people to go hungry. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the World Food Programme (WFP) asked for peace and safe access to help people who needed food and support. They also offered help to solve the food problems in different ways.

The FAO helped farmers by giving them seeds and tools. By the end of September, they had given out over 4,800 tons of seeds to about 1.4 million farmers. They also helped people who raised animals by giving them care for their livestock.

Since the start of 2018, UNICEF set up programs to help children who were very hungry. They helped over 147,000 children get better, which was most of the children they wanted to help that year.

The WFP, which gives food help all over the world, sent teams to different places in South Sudan to give food and support to about 96,000 people, including many young children. They planned to help even more people in the following months. The WFP also gave food for free, helped people build things in their communities in exchange for food, and gave food to children at school. They also gave special medicine to help children and women who were pregnant or feeding babies stay healthy. By 2018, they had given out 30,000 tons of food and used money to help over 3 million people.

Oxfam

Oxfam works to help poor people all over the world. In South Sudan and nearby areas, Oxfam worked to give food, water, and clean facilities to people who needed help. They also taught people better ways to farm and gave them tools, animals, and fishing supplies. Oxfam gave families money and vouchers to buy things in markets and helped traders connect different communities.