South Sudan is locked in a cycle of conflict, displacement, and dire humanitarian need — yet donor funding is drastically dwindling.
“Donors are getting fatigued as the situation in South Sudan is not improving,” says Josiah Mannah, Action Against Hunger’s program director for South Sudan.
The country’s independence from Sudan in 2011 sparked a seven-year civil war and, despite a peace deal in 2018, intercommunal clashes continue. This violence drives displacement and feeds into the country’s state of extreme hunger. Today, 2 million people are internally displaced and over two-thirds of South Sudan’s population — around 8.9 million people — require urgent humanitarian assistance, including more than 60% of the population who don’t have enough to eat.
The climate crisis, including extreme flooding, and the economic aftershocks of the pandemic, only exacerbate the situation.
Despite this mounting crisis, donor partners no longer prioritize the population's needs, with large funding cuts in 2022, says Mannah. Instead, the donors are concerned with other global crises and skyrocketing inflation. Only 45% of the 2022 total funding requirement for hunger-related programs have been received so far and funding has dropped significantly since 2020, jeopardizing programs that treat malnourished children, provide emergency relief to the most vulnerable families, and promise longer-term solutions that can prevent hunger.
“We all know of the situation in Ukraine. We have other countries across Africa also facing dire humanitarian situations. Therefore, donors are looking at spreading resources across the board,” Mannah says.
Instead, he encourages a more sustainable approach and urges donors to use the opportunity to innovate and explore new approaches to address hunger today.
Devex spoke to Mannah about some of the new solutions his team is implementing in South Sudan and why it’s urgent the donor community steps up funding for the country.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
South Sudan is experiencing a number of devastating crises. Can you describe the situation as you’re seeing it?
We’re seeing high levels of food insecurity, violence, flooding, and disease outbreaks.
Conflict and insecurity, natural disasters — such as dry spells, droughts, and flooding in particular — [alongside] economic instability are now exacerbated by the crisis in Ukraine. … The cost of basic food items like wheat, meat, flour, and cooking oil have increased dramatically.
“If we look at the effects of climate change across South Sudan, we need to embark on … climate adaptation and mitigation approaches so that people can continue their livelihoods and support themselves.”
— Josiah Mannah, program director for South Sudan, Action Against HungerWe have also seen a very sharp uptick in violence over recent months. … In July, for example, [there was] an increase in armed clashes and armed attacks in several states across the country. This resulted in … approximately 17,500 more people displaced by violence. This ongoing insecurity is also hampering the response by humanitarian actors.
Despite the crises, donor funding is dwindling. How is this affecting the country?
The situation in South Sudan is not getting better. We have to continue to advocate for this untold story.
Yes, donors have invested in South Sudan, but now the situation is getting worse and humanitarian funding has not kept pace. It usually requires greater investment to address a problem after it escalates.
We still need investment in South Sudan. This is an opportunity for humanitarian actors and partners in the country to come together, see how we can be more cost effective and work collaboratively, linking humanitarian interventions and peace-building for sustainable interventions.
Can you give me an example of how you partner with local communities to combat hunger?
The climate crisis has caused an unprecedented hunger crisis. Recently, we’ve been working to address chronic flooding in communities like Paguir and Old Fangak. For example, we have piloted floating vegetable gardens and rice projects in Paguir. We train mainly women and youth on how to cultivate rice. … The rice itself is a flood-resistant crop and can be harvested quickly. Even in the midst of very flooded farmlands, it can successfully grow and when it's harvested, it puts food on people's tables.
Over the past few years, hundreds of families in Paguir have been devastated by full-scale flooding, which destroyed homes and ruined crop supplies. In order to survive, many resorted to eating insubstantial plants like water lilies. But now, alongside Action Against Hunger, Paguir’s residents are growing rice in sustainable paddies.
To share an example, Nyagai Malual was unable to feed her seven children before she started growing rice. Now, as she tends to her crops, she’s told the Action Against Hunger team that she is hopeful for the future. “I can make my plot, prepare it and use the skill that Action Against Hunger gave me so that my family can benefit from that farm, and it will [also] be my own,” she said.
We are supporting and engaging women in a way that promotes gender equity and empowers young people, so their time spent thinking about violence is reduced. This could support community coherence and a more peaceful society.
You've described the initiative to set up rice paddies in areas affected by flooding. How else is Action Against Hunger implementing innovative solutions to the hunger crisis?
We believe in engaging communities in co-creating solutions. In the community of Kuac in Warrap state, Action Against Hunger's team is [implementing] kitchen gardens and setting up village savings and loan associations. These measures can ensure the availability of food to affected populations throughout the year. We also need to look at investing more in durable and sustainable and climate-adaptive livelihood approaches.
In Fangak county, we also are constructing a navigable waterway to link communities to one another and to a main river. It has eased the transportation of goods and services and unified a divided community. Similarly, we are building dikes to control the frequent flooding around farmland and communities. This is providing livelihood means for the local population.
Recognizing that conflict is a major driver of hunger, we've organized peace-building activities, such as youth sports. We buy football jerseys and footballs and provide them to different communities, then we start bringing communities together to play matches. Before, during, or after the matches, we try to sensitize them on the importance of peace, and why it is necessary for their personal and community development.
How are Action Against Hunger's traditional methods evolving and adapting to the current crisis?
We’ve learned that we must do a much better job of preventing children from being malnourished in the first place. We need to invest in longer-term approaches that address the drivers of food insecurity and undernutrition. And we need to really improve community engagement. This will help us, as humanitarian actors, continue to harness local knowledge and promote community ownership for the sustainability of our interventions.
We also need to engage not only at the national level, but also with local authorities … because with their support we'll be able to look at opportunities that drive the success and sustainability of our innovative programs.
Most importantly, if we look at the effects of climate change across South Sudan, we need to embark on … climate adaptation and mitigation approaches so that people can continue their livelihoods and support themselves.
Finally, we need to improve our collaboration as humanitarian actors. This will support synergies across the board and enhance the cost-effectiveness of programs. With donor funding dwindling in South Sudan, no single sector, actor, or intervention can respond to the many causes and vulnerabilities leading to food and nutrition insecurity. But if we [combine] our energies and efforts with innovation and come together against hunger, we'll be able to respond to food and nutrition insecurity, reducing malnutrition and hunger in South Sudan and the world.