Overview
The Republic of South Sudan became the world’s youngest nation and Africa’s 54th country on July 9, 2011. However, outbreaks of civil war in 2013 and 2016 have undermined the post-independence development gains it made, as well as making its humanitarian situation worse. More than a decade after independence, South Sudan remains impacted by fragility, economic stagnation, and instability. Poverty is ubiquitous, exacerbated by conflict, displacement, and external shocks.
South Sudan continues to face an acute and multifaceted humanitarian crisis driven by the combined effects of conflict, climate shocks, disease outbreaks, and economic fragility. These overlapping pressures have severely weakened community resilience, disrupted essential services, and displaced millions of people. In 2026, more than 10 million people—around two-thirds of the population—are projected to require humanitarian assistance. The situation is marked by widespread food insecurity, fragile health and education systems, and severe protection risks, particularly for women, children, people with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups exposed to gender-based violence, exploitation, and harmful coping mechanisms such as early and forced marriage.
The impacts of climate change have further intensified vulnerabilities. In 2025, the country experienced a severe flood-drought paradox linked to the 2024 El Niño event, with over 1.3 million people affected by flooding while other regions endured prolonged dry spells. These repeated shocks have exhausted coping capacities, leaving communities with little opportunity to recover. At the same time, the ongoing conflict in Sudan has placed additional strain on already overstretched systems, with large influxes of refugees overwhelming basic services in border areas such as Renk and Maban, where facilities are operating far beyond capacity. The crisis has been compounded by the cross-border spread of diseases, including cholera, measles, and hepatitis E, with South Sudan currently facing its largest cholera outbreak on record. Addressing these escalating needs will require urgent, scaled-up humanitarian action alongside longer-term investments to strengthen resilience and essential service delivery.
Source: OCHA, 2026
