JUBA, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on Thursday sounded an alarm over a funding shortfall as it grapples with the settlement of refugees fleeing the Sudan conflict into South Sudan.

Marie-Helene Verney, UNHCR's representative in South Sudan, told Xinhua in an interview that the agency is struggling to provide basic needs such as health and education for more than 550,000 Sudanese refugees, as dwindling funds have already led to food ration cuts.

"We have witnessed ongoing reductions in the capacity of UN agencies to support refugees in South Sudan. Food rations, for example, are lower than before, while UNHCR has managed to maintain essential services such as health and education; indeed, the standards are not as high as they once were," Verney said in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

Verney noted that despite the financial constraints, UN agencies are engaging with other institutions to sustain refugee support.

"So it is a difficult situation, but there are also some very positive developments, very strong engagement of the banks, World Bank, African Development Bank, on displacement issues and refugees in South Sudan, which gives us some confidence that we can be optimistic," she said.

The UNHCR official said the greater challenge was the loss of flexible resources that previously allowed UNHCR to respond swiftly to multiple crises in South Sudan.

Since the conflict broke out in Sudan in April 2023, more than 1 million people, including both South Sudanese returnees and Sudanese refugees, have entered South Sudan, further exacerbating the already dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan, caused by conflict, climate shocks like flooding and heatwaves.

According to the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, over half of South Sudan's population is experiencing severe food insecurity.

With clear signs of famine risk in specific areas and widespread crisis elsewhere, the UN has urged urgent, multi-sector humanitarian intervention to prevent further deterioration and loss of life. ■