In this photo food is loaded onto a helicopter, to be delivered in a pre-positioning operation in Jonglei State.
As South Sudan marks its 14th year of independence amid mounting turmoil, the World Food Programme (WFP) has launched critical airdrop operations in Upper Nile State, targeting 40,000 people on the brink of starvation.
With land routes severed by intensifying conflict, the WFP began airlifting emergency food supplies into Nasir and Ulang counties, two regions now considered epicentres of the ongoing crisis.
The UN agency’s intervention comes as humanitarian aid efforts have collapsed in one of South Sudan’s most isolated and war-torn areas.
“More than a million people in Upper Nile are facing hunger, and at least 32,000 are at immediate risk of famine,” a WFP spokesperson said, noting that the number of people facing starvation in the region has tripled over the past four months.
The conflict pits government troops against the “White Army,” a local militia widely believed to support former Vice President Riek Machar.
Machar, under house arrest since March, remains a polarising figure in a power struggle that has plunged parts of the northeast into renewed violence and isolation.
The WFP’s mission has already seen 700 metric tons of food dropped into affected areas.
However, another 1,500 tons of supplies remain stalled in the south, blocked by inaccessible river routes.
“We are racing against time,” said a senior official. “With roads cut off and rivers blocked, air delivery is the only option to prevent famine from taking hold.”
South Sudan’s broader humanitarian picture is equally grim. Nearly eight million people—over half the population—are suffering from acute food insecurity, with children and displaced populations being hardest hit.
The WFP warns that without sustained access and security guarantees, even these emergency efforts may not be enough.
For the people of Upper Nile, the skies are now their only lifeline.
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