The Government of Germany has contributed an additional €28.5 million to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) to support tens of thousands of people affected by worsening food insecurity and the nutrition crisis across South Sudan. The funding is particularly timely, as an estimated 7.56 million people—over half the country’s population—are projected to face acute food insecurity during the lean season from April to July 2026.
Food insecurity in South Sudan is driven by conflict, displacement, climatic shocks, low agricultural productivity, and economic challenges. However, regions where peace has been sustained and access maintained have shown improvements in food security. WFP Country Director Mary-Ellen McGroarty emphasized that while lasting peace and government investment are key to ending hunger, Germany’s contribution will significantly enhance ongoing efforts to assist vulnerable populations at a critical time of the year.
Malnutrition is worsening, currently affecting 2.1 million children and over one million pregnant and breastfeeding women, according to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report. WFP will use part of the funding to provide specialized nutritious food and nutrition education to these vulnerable groups. Additionally, initiatives addressing the root causes of food insecurity will be scaled up, including cash start-up funds, training for income-generation activities, and support for establishing village savings and loans associations.
Gregory Bledjian, Ambassador of Germany to South Sudan, highlighted the country’s commitment to supporting the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, while calling for unhindered humanitarian access. Germany has been a long-standing partner of WFP, providing support to address both immediate humanitarian needs and longer-term solutions to tackle hunger. This latest contribution brings Germany’s total funding to WFP’s operations in South Sudan to more than US$200 million since 2021.
