Famine Risk Persists in South Sudan's Akobo County

A recent humanitarian surge in Akobo County, South Sudan, has helped stabilize conditions in Akobo East, but the risk of famine remains high. Between January and March 2026, over 100,000 people were displaced due to armed violence, and by April, over 12,000 people in Akobo faced starvation. A worst-case scenario involving continuous violence, returnees, flooding, and service collapse was averted, but severe acute malnutrition persists, affecting 38% of admissions in August. The county's food situation is fragile, with below-average rainfall draining the Pibor river and a ban on cash transfers paralyzing local markets. A prolonged dry spell is expected to devastate the harvest, and households' access to food will contract substantially if food distributions are discontinued.