Country: South Sudan Source: REACH Initiative Please refer to the attached file. September 2026 | South Sudan This situation overview provides an update on conditions in Lafon County in August 2026, following reports of extreme health outcomes. Data collection involved key informant interviews and focus group discussions in three of the worst-affected payams between August 17-24. Key messages • A large-deficit harvest in 2025 and a prolonged dry spell from May 2026 precipitated an exceptionally severe lean season in Lafon County in 2026. It is possible a combination of food shortages, limited functionality of WASH infrastructure, and stockouts of health and nutrition supplies were driving extreme health outcomes. • Following a poor harvest in 2025, participants described selling household assets and livestock as well as widespread reliance on toxic wild foods since at least May 2026 as primary coping mechanisms, in addition to many households and individuals having left the county. • Increased demand, rising prices and physical access challenges are likely to have contributed to staple foods such as sorghum being out of stock or unaffordable not only in Lafon, but also in some neighboring communities. • Local health authorities and FGD participants both highlighted a nearly complete absence of any medicines across the county since at least May 2026. In one of the assessed payams, health services have reportedly been restricted to health education and referrals to Lafon Center or Juba for well over three years.
South Sudan: Rapid Drought Impact Assessment in Lafon County, Eastern Equatoria (September 2026)
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