South Sudan Food Aid Near Collapse: 1 Million at Risk by October
More than one million people in South Sudan could lose food and nutrition assistance by October unless more resources are secured, the World Food Programme warned on October 7, 2026. The warning covers refugees, returnees and other people who depend on WFP supply lines that are nearly empty. Al Jazeera
In Upper Nile state, food stocks in Malakal have dropped from 10,000 metric tonnes at this time last year to less than 300 tonnes now. A metric tonne equals 1,000 kilograms, so this is a fall from a large stored supply to almost nothing. Everyone receiving WFP help in South Sudan already gets a reduced ration, a smaller amount than planned. Some food items will be missing from rations starting in October because stocks held inside the country are low. Al Jazeera
About 3,000 refugees and returnees cross into South Sudan from Sudan each week. More than 1.4 million refugees and returnees have crossed since the war in Sudan started in April 2023, according to WFP. Renk in Upper Nile state, near the border with Sudan, serves as an entry point for people fleeing that war.
WFP Assistant Executive Director Matthew Hollingworth visited Renk and Malakal in Upper Nile state and Pigi county in Jonglei state to assess the humanitarian situation.
WFP had warned that six operations face major breaks in food-aid supply lines by year-end, with South Sudan among those giving reduced rations and incomplete food baskets. WFP In August 2026, the agency said about 650,000 refugees in South Sudan could lose food aid within weeks because of lack of funding. It said food assistance for about 180,000 internally displaced people in South Sudan, people forced to move but still inside the country, would stop from October 2026. Reuters
As of September 2026, WFP had a funding gap of just under $300 million to sustain its Sudan operations, having received $645 million with almost three-quarters of 2026 passed. Reuters The agency is assisting 1.5 million fewer people in Sudan as donor aid has fallen, while around 5 million people in Sudan face emergency or catastrophic hunger levels, the most severe hunger categories, according to the agency. Reuters
The broader context here is that Sudan and South Sudan draw on overlapping donor funding and transport routes, so a shortage in one affects the other through displacement. With 3,000 arrivals each week and less than 300 tonnes stored in Malakal, each new group forces a choice between smaller rations, fewer people helped, or both. WFP has already cut rations across South Sudan. The October figures point to fewer people helped.
Looking at what this means for aid diplomacy, timing is tight. Supply breaks expected by year-end leave little time for new pledges to turn into food that is bought, transported and stored before it is needed. Reduced rations and missing items show that delay. Full suspension for some refugee and displaced groups would come next. Renk is worth watching closely, as entry points with few resources often see people move again when aid thins.
