Republic of South Sudan: 2023 Article IV Consultation, and First and Second Reviews under the Staff-Monitored Program with Board Involvement-Press Release; Staff Report; and Statement by the Executive Director for Republic of South Sudan

South Sudan is a very fragile post-conflict country, and one of the most vulnerable in the world to climate change effects. The spillovers from the fighting in Sudan have exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation. Two-thirds of South Sudan’s population was exposed to acute food insecurity prior to the outbreak of the conflict in Sudan and the situation has worsened due to a large and growing number of refugees, and a sharp increase in fuel and food prices in the border areas with Sudan driven by trade disruptions. The Sudan war has also delayed the needed repair of the pipeline that transports South Sudan’s crude oil to international markets through Sudan. As a result, oil exports have since mid-February 2024 collapsed to about one-third of their previous level. This has increased significantly the fiscal financing and balance of payments gaps given that oil exports account for nearly 90 percent of fiscal revenues and 95 percent of exports. National elections, the first-ever since South Sudan’s independence in 2011, are scheduled for December 2024. However, due to delays in and operationalizing key election-related institutions development partners have expressed skepticism that free and fair elections will be feasible by the envisaged date.