Since the start of 2026, South Sudan has experienced escalating conflict, especially in the Jonglei and Upper Nile regions. These conflicts, combined with floods and sharply reduced harvests, has triggered widespread economic decline and and forced more than 2.6 million people from their homes. On average, 104 women and girls in South Sudan are being displaced every hour.
Additionally, the civil war in neighboring Sudan has added pressure. An additional 2.4 million Sudanese refugees and returning South Sudanese have crossed the border.
Today, over half of South Sudan’s population — approximately 7.8 million people — is experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity. This hunger crisis is affecting women and children the hardest, with 2.2 million children under the age of 5 years old and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women experiencing acute malnutrition. Families are reduced to forage for wild food, with some people reporting that they are going days without eating anything.
The South Sudan Mennonite Church is actively working to procure and distribute emergency food assistance for displaced people in their community. Their presence allows them to reach vulnerable families quickly with cultural sensitivity.
Our immediate response
At present, Mennonite Mission Network (MMN) is helping coordinate a regional support structure that includes ministers from neighboring Mennonite churches in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya, alongside MCC South Sudan for effective humanitarian relief coordination, and Mennonite World Conference for global church accompaniment. This partnership is seeking to provide both immediate support and longer-term strengthening of the church’s witness and resilience.
Mission Network sent funds to assist some congregations in reinforcing their meeting houses, many of which have deteriorated due to prolonged inclement weather, and we are making plans to increase on-going support.
How you can help right now
Your prayers matter. Your gifts matter even more in this moment of urgent need. Donate today to Mobilize for Peace to support the South Sudan Mennonite Church’s emergency food distributions and holistic response. Even small amounts, when combined with others, can provide life-saving meals, nutritional support for children and mothers, and seeds of hope for the future.
Together, we can stand with our brothers and sisters in South Sudan when they need it most.
Please pray for:
- An end to the unprecedented floods that have affected South Sudan for the past several years, and a return to regular agricultural activities.
- Conflict to cease in both South Sudan and neighboring Sudan.
- Immediate support for the South Sudan Mennonite Church and other organizations to provide basic food items to vulnerable households.
- Increased humanitarian assistance for health and hygiene needs.
- Safe, weather-resistant gathering places for those who otherwise wouldn’t have shelter.
