Key messages
One of the world's worst man-made humanitarian crises continues to unfold in South Sudan. After more than 20 months of fighting, a peace agreement was signed in August, but there is still no sign of peace in the country.
More than 2.2 million people are displaced due to the civil war. They have fled both within South Sudan and to neighbouring countries. The majority of refugees are children.
The United Nations has declared South Sudan a level-3 emergency – the highest level of humanitarian crisis. The country ranks second in the European Commission's Global Vulnerability and Crisis Assessment index (after the Central African Republic). South Sudan was the world's most fragile State in 2014 and 2015 according to the annual Fragile States index.
Nearly 3.9 million people are severely food insecure as a result of displacement, the destruction of livelihoods and the inability to plant and harvest crops. Other urgent humanitarian needs include food, health care, clean water, sanitation and shelter.
The conflict is also marked by violations of international humanitarian law, and grave human rights abuses.
Humanitarian access to people in need remains difficult and aid delivery takes place in extremely challenging circumstances.
Hostilities and attacks against humanitarians continue with at least 39 humanitarian workers killed since the beginning of the conflict.The EU provides more than 40% of all humanitarian financing to South Sudan to support life-saving programmes for an estimated 2 million people.