In Numbers
7.1 million people facing severe food insecurity between May-July 2018 (IPC February 2018)
2.95 million people assisted by WFP in June 2018
1.76 million internally displaced people (OCHA)
2.47 million South Sudanese refugees (UNHCR)
202,776 seeking shelter with the UN (UNMISS)
Highlights
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WFP strongly condemns attacks against humanitarian compounds in a recent demonstration in Bunj town, Maban county.
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WFP reached 2.95 million beneficiaries in June, a record in a month in 2018.
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As part of its response to conflict-affected populations in Central Unity, WFP and partners have successfully completed assistance in Mayendit county. Distributions in Leer locations are ongoing.
Situation Update
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On 23 July, hundreds of protesters armed with crude weapons demonstrated in Bunj town, Maban County, demanding employment opportunities for the local community. The demonstrators forcefully entered humanitarian compounds, looted offices and damaged programme assets. As part of a high-level delegation to assess the situation on the ground and understand the level of damage to WFP’s assets, WFP’s Assistant Executive Director Mr. Manoj Juneja visited South Sudan Country Office (CO) and Maban Field Office (FO) from 1-3 August. WFP strongly condemns the attacks and has relocated workers to the capital. Life-saving assistance will continue to be provided to those most in need.
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WFP hosted the visit of Her Royal Highness Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan on 29-31 July. The main purpose was to understand the country’s humanitarian situation as well as how WFP is meeting the needs of the most vulnerable populations, especially women and children. The Princess visited Katdalok, a remote location served through the Integrated Rapid Response Mechanism (IRRM), and WFP nutrition sites, highlighting the importance of breastfeeding as part of breastfeeding week. The Princess is an advocate for women’s, child and adolescent health and wellbeing in humanitarian and fragile settings.
WFP Response
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WFP and cooperating partners provided more than 27,000 mt of food assistance and $2.4 million in cash-based transfers to 2.95 million food-insecure people in South Sudan during the month of June, a record in number of beneficiaries reached and metric tons distributed in a month in 2018. In difficult-toaccess areas of Unity, Jonglei and Upper Nile states WFP reached more than 316,000 severely food-insecure people, including more than 76,500 children younger than five years of age, through the IRRM.
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WFP conducted the mid-year review of its Annual Performance Plan (APP) 2018, identifying priorities for the second half of the year as well as actions to address the challenges to achieving WFP’s strategic objectives in South Sudan. The APP exercise enables the CO to define how WFP will transform the financial, human and physical resources it has available into the programmatic results it aims to achieve. WFP’s priority in South Sudan continues to be to focus on the most vulnerable, food insecure populations, and on finding ways of identifying and reaching them more effectively and cost-efficiently.
Food and Nutrition Assistance
- After a series of challenges to reach conflict-affected populations in Unity state during the month of July, WFP has successfully negotiated humanitarian access to different locations across the state and is currently providing assistance in Leer county through the IRRM, along with UNICEF and the Shelter Cluster. Assistance in Mayendit county locations has been provided successfully and the response to populations in Koch county is scheduled for the coming week.
Supply Chain
- Through its Reconnaissance and Recovery Teams (RRTs), WFP has so far directly assisted 200 trucks crossing along the Western Corridor, from JubaTerekeka to Rumbek. WFP established the RRTs in May 2018 – each consisting of WFP Fleet trucks, a convoy leader and a mechanic – to support WFP contracted transporters. The teams monitor road conditions to assist by rescuing trucks and undertake maintenance work to keep the roads passable, which have allowed 600 trucks to cross the corridor. With the RRTs, WFP aims to extend the use of the Western Corridor during the rainy season, which is the main route to transport humanitarian assistance to Lakes, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Warrap, and Western Bahr el Ghazal states.
Monitoring
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Data collection for the post-distribution monitoring (PDM) of the Food/Cash-for-Assets programme was conducted during June-July in Aweil, Wunrok, Mingkaman, Abyei and Yida states. Through this exercise, which combines efforts from FO and CO monitoring teams, WFP is able to assess project implementation and their impact on beneficiaries. The PDM serves to further prevent programmatic risks, inform programme design and reinforce accountability to donors and populations served.
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In addition to monthly process monitoring of general distributions and activities, WFP M&E has strengthened its support to the IRRM missions. Every month, monitoring missions from the CO are assigned to join RRM missions to monitor WFP general food distributions and give a voice to beneficiaries in the most vulnerable and hard-to-reach areas of the country. In July a team was deployed to monitor distributions in Jiech, Jonglei state.