Food security deteriorates to Emergency (IPC Phase 4) in Northern Bahr el Ghazal

Food security has significantly deteriorated in Northern Bahr el Ghazal. Staple food prices continue to increase due to high import costs associated with currency depreciation, and insecurity and poor road conditions along transportation routes that restrict imports. Since January 2016, over 69,000 people have migrated from Northern Bahr el Ghazal to Sudan, mainly due to food shortages. It is expected some households will experience significant food consumption gaps through July and be in Emergency (IPC Phase 4). 

In Greater Bahr el Ghazal and Greater Upper Nile (GUN), planting for the May to October season is ongoing, although localized insecurity in GUN and limited access to inputs in both areas are preventing some households from cultivating. In both areas it is likely more households will cultivate this year than in 2015, given some security improvements. In Central and Eastern Equatoria, crop production has been negatively impacted by erratic distribution of rainfall, but normal rainfall has supported favorable crop development in Western Equatoria.  

Emergency (IPC Phase 4) acute food insecurity persists in GUN as the lean season progresses and access to food and income remains limited. In May, households began seasonally returning livestock to homesteads, increasing household access to livestock products. Consumption is expected to further improve in June as fish and wild foods become seasonally available. However, significant improvement is not expected until the arrival of green harvests in September.  

Staple food prices continue to increase across most markets and remain significantly higher than both last year and the five-year average, restricting household food access. For example, in Juba, the price of sorghum in April was 259 percent higher than last year and 367 percent above the five-year average. Between April and May, the official exchange rate depreciated from 30.4 to 31.7 SSP/USD, while the unofficial exchange rate depreciated from 29.0 to 38.5 SSP/USD.