Rabia Mayet | rabiamayet@radioislam.co.za

24 August 2026

3-minute read

The World Food Program and humanitarian organizations warn that shrinking contributions are threatening the lifeline of refugees and asylum seekers from Sudan, who have fled the conflict to neighbouring South Sudan, and are now facing severe hunger.

While nobody knows the actual numbers of refugees fleeing the country, Joseph Ochieno, an East Africa political analyst, says that South Sudan is both a “political mess” and a “refugee mess”. Even before breaking away from the North, South Sudan was marginalised and became a “region in conflict”.

Upon the cessation from Sudan, South Sudan became “the most messy country” – they have never been stable and have experienced major challenges; and are “literally crawling for survival.”

Notwithstanding corruption, there are many complexities for those coming in as refugees to a country who is hardly able to sustain their own people. Without international support, aid agencies could usually get assistance from locals to supply food and put in place infrastructure to support the refugees. But even if the refugees are given money, South Sudan does not even have sufficient resources for themselves, let alone enough for these people to tap into the local infrastructure and networks.

People in Sudan are running from guns and “very directly targeted operations” by rebels, while South Sudan itself is not considered peaceful, despite South Sudanese military personnel rejecting this claim. Goods trucks are being commandeered by refugees to take them to a country that is “messy” militarily, politically, in terms of border security and in terms of livelihood, Joseph comments.

Urgent short-term intervention and relief in the form of water and food to be provided by more stable countries on the African continent, especially SADAC members, is required. Joseph emphasizes that “political pressure be rained on the warring factions” to stop the war and call for a ceasefire, and to stop targeting civilians and creating a genocide, which is the root cause of people running away.

The fact that the WFP and other agencies are running out of funds should spur nation states to double up their air-forces and come in with support and assistance, so that an interim rescue for the Sudanese refugees can happen.

Listen to the full interview with Ml Sulaimaan Ravat and Joseph Ochieno here.