Why It Matters

South Sudan faces a severe humanitarian crisis. A Congressional Research Service report on South Sudan examines the country's deteriorating situation, where over 10 million people need aid and conflict continues to worsen. Over 400,000 people have been newly displaced since the start of 2026, and the country has absorbed 1.3 million refugees and returnees from Sudan.

The Trump administration has slashed development assistance while maintaining targeted sanctions on officials undermining peace or engaged in corruption. Some reports suggest aid cuts have led to deaths on the ground, creating political pressure on Congress to reconsider funding reductions even as the administration pursues a narrower foreign aid strategy.

Congress historically has focused on South Sudan through a humanitarian and human rights lens, making the funding collapse a potential flashpoint for lawmakers concerned about civilian suffering.

The Big Picture

U.S. humanitarian aid to South Sudan collapsed dramatically: from over $700 million annually between 2014 and 2024 to under $300 million in 2025. The U.S. share of total humanitarian funding for South Sudan dropped from a majority to almost one-third.

The funding suspension has had documented consequences. Health clinics and nutrition programs have shuttered across the country. Humanitarian funding gaps for South Sudan have grown since 2020 as competing donor priorities and rising costs have strained resources.

South Sudan's economy has deteriorated sharply. The government halted civil servant and security force salaries for a year after a pipeline carrying oil through Sudan was damaged in 2024, cutting revenue by nearly 70 percent. Oil comprises 90 percent of state revenue and 95 percent of exports. The country ranks as one of the world's poorest and most fragile states.

Conflict dynamics have worsened since early 2025. Attacks by SPLM-IG (Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition) forces and airstrikes, some conducted by Uganda, on Nuer villages have escalated hostilities. Government forces have restricted aid access to rebel-held areas and attacked health facilities, while opposition forces have exploited humanitarian assistance. President Salva Kiir arrested First Vice President Riek Machar in early 2025, breaching the 2018 Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict.

The Trump administration has maintained sanctions and visa restrictions on South Sudan officials undermining peace or engaged in corruption. An Executive Order 13664 issued in 2014 was renewed in March 2026. The UN Security Council renewed its sanctions on South Sudan for one year via Resolution 2821 in 2026, including asset freezes, travel bans, and an arms embargo.

The Trump administration also committed $146 million under a three-year health cooperation Memorandum of Understanding to prevent infectious disease spread and provided additional funding for Ebola preparedness, even as non-humanitarian programs were largely cut.

The Bottom Line

The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan has reached a critical juncture, with elections planned for December 2026 and a UN inquiry finding the regime is "systematically dismantling" the peace deal. The funding collapse and escalating conflict create an urgent policy challenge for Congress, which has historically prioritized humanitarian and human rights concerns in South Sudan policy.

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