UN agency warns of famine in South Sudan

JUBA – The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that more than seven million people in South Sudan will suffer acute food insecurity over the coming few months.

The affected areas include Pibor, Akobo, Tonj North, Tonj South, Aweil South, Bor South, Twic East, Duk and Ayod.

“This coming lean season 7.24 million will suffer from severe food insecurity – including 1.4 million children and young mothers who will suffer from malnutrition and that is the situation we are responding to,”  WFP Representative and Country Director in South Sudan Mathew Hollingworth told reporters in Juba yesterday.

Hollingworth said the humanitarian actors are exerting efforts to focus on stopping a potential famine in the country.

“The humanitarian community including WFP has agreed that we need to do something we need to extend and expand our operation in those areas to stop catastrophic food insecurity this lean season to stop famine,” he said.

He said the affected areas have been experiencing sub-national violence and flooding that has worsened food insecurity.

“These shocks have caused an interruption to the people’s livelihood, its means they have not been able to carry out their work whether in fields, or in their villages,” he added.