Famine Grips Parts of South Sudan
Famine is making life miserable for the people of South Sudan. 100,000 people are facing starvation, and a million more are at risk of famine.
Famine has been declared in parts of South Sudan including the Unity State. This is the first announced in any part of the world in six years.
With this report, the United Nation sounded the alarm, urging the international community to take immediate actions and assistance.
Warnings of famine were also raised in Yemen, Somalia and north-eastern Nigeria, but they are not yet critical. South Sudan is the first to be declared a problem.
Who’s To Blame
A combination of civil war, refugee crisis and economic instability are blamed for the famine ravaging the African country. They say the famine is “man-made.”
According to Joyce Luma, head of the WFP in South Sudan, the three-year long conflict greatly affected food production.
Aside from that, the impact of low agricultural production has resulted in the African country becoming “food insecure,” forcing many citizens to scavenge for food.
Malnutrition is prevalent in young children, worsening the humanitarian crisis, according to UN World Food Programme.
Serge Tissot, of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, said, “Our worst fears have been realized. Many families have exhausted every means they have to survive.”
Calling For Humanitarian Aid
As famine affects parts of South Sudan Unity state, humanitarian organizations fear the likelihood of the crisis widening. Officials say famine could spread throughout the country if it is not addressed quickly.
With 4.9 million people in urgent need of food, UN World Food Programme (WFP) and other aid agencies announced for adequate assistance. The UN wants to prevent the South Sudan famine from spreading to other vulnerable areas.
WFP warned that if the situation cannot be mitigated, more than 20 million people may face starvation over the next six months.
The program’s food supplies will run out unless it can secure “a substantial injection of funds.” The agency needs $205 million within the next six months.
George Fominyen, the UN food program spokesman in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, said, “We are quite concerned that we do not have the resources.”
Fominyen added, “We could run out of food by the end of June. The needs are so huge; every time you are entering a new front, a new battle.”
