04/09/2026
Drought Deepens Across South Sudan: Farms Wilt as Families Face Hunger.
District News
South Sudan is facing one of its most serious drought crises in years, with prolonged dry spells damaging crops and livestock across several states and pushing millions toward severe hunger.
Where the Drought Is Hitting Hardest
The situation is most severe in Eastern Equatoria State, particularly in Kapoeta North, Budi, Magwi County, and the Greater Pageri region. Farmers there report that early planting followed by long dry spells caused poor germination and widespread crop wilting, threatening the food supply that normally flows into markets in Torit and Juba.
Rainfall deficits have also been recorded in Upper Nile, Jonglei, Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, and Unity States, where poor rains are combining with conflict and a weak economy to worsen food shortages. It's important to note the drought is not uniform nationwide — some western and southern areas have actually seen normal or above-average rainfall this season, and parts of the country are still dealing with seasonal flooding at the same time.
The Human Cost
Food security monitors report that Emergency-level hunger (IPC Phase 4) remains widespread across many counties in Jonglei, Unity, and Upper Nile as the lean season peaks. Millions of people nationwide are expected to need food assistance this year, with conflict, high food prices, and currency troubles compounding the impact of poor rains. Red sorghum prices in some conflict-affected markets rose sharply between June and July alone.
Government and UN Response
In July, the Government of South Sudan and the UN World Food Programme activated the country's first-ever drought anticipatory action plan, aiming to protect more than 65,000 people in Budi and Kapoeta North before the crisis peaks — delivering cash transfers and early warnings so families can prepare in advance rather than waiting for disaster to strike.
At the COP17 climate conference in late August, South Sudan's government called for urgent international drought-financing support, noting that overlapping floods and dry spells in the same season are degrading farmland, displacing communities, and deepening food insecurity for millions, with rural farmers, herders, women, and youth bearing the heaviest burden.
What Farmers Are Being Told
Local officials are urging farmers to shift toward drought-resistant crops such as cassava and sorghum, and to avoid selling off existing food stocks until the true scale of this year's harvest becomes clear. The main harvest expected in September and October may ease some pressure, but experts warn it likely won't be enough to fully offset the crisis.
