James Archibald / Cape Town, Feb 21 () - South Sudan has declared famine in parts of the world’s newest country, which is suffering the effects of ongoing armed conflict and a missed cropping season.
Three United Nations (UN) agencies yesterday warned that 100 thousand people already faced starvation due to the war and collapsing economy, adding that another million were classified as being on the brink of famine.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) said called for urgent humanitarian action in the region to prevent more people from dying of hunger.
According to an update released by the government in Juba, 4.9 million people are in need of urgent food, agriculture and nutrition assistance. This means more than 40 percent of South Sudan’s population is at risk. The agencies said as many as 5.5 million faced food insecurity at the height of the country’s lean season in July if the food crisis is not adequately addressed.
The agencies called for unimpeded humanitarian access to those at risk of famine, saying humanitarian assistance needs to be scaled up and reach the most vulnerable if the famine is to be averted.
Famine was formally declared in parts of Unity State in the northern-central part of the country, meaning people have already started dying of hunger there.
“More than one million children are currently estimated to be acutely malnourished across South Sudan; over a quarter of a million children are already severely malnourished. If we do not reach these children with urgent aid many of them will die,” said Jeremy Hopkins, a UNICEF representative in South Sudan.
“We urge all parties to allow humanitarian organizations unrestricted access to the affected populations, so we can assist the most vulnerable and prevent yet another humanitarian catastrophe,” Hopkins said.
