UN declares famine in parts of South Sudan

UN AGENCIES said wars and a collapsing economy have left around 100 000 people facing starvation in parts of South Sudan, where famine was declared yesterday.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the International Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the World Food Programme (WFP) yesterday also called for urgent action as almost 5 million people urgently need food, agricultural and nutritional assistance.

The UN agencies said famine was currently affecting parts of Unity State in the northern-central part of the country, adding a further 1 million people classified as being on the brink of famine.

“A formal famine declaration means people have already started dying of hunger.

“The situation is the worst hunger catastrophe since fighting erupted more than three years ago,” they said in a joint statement issued in Juba.

The FAO representative in South Sudan, Serge Tissot, said famine had become a tragic reality in parts of South Sudan.

“Our worst fears have been realised. Many families have exhausted every means they have to survive.

“The people are predominantly farmers and war has disrupted agriculture. For months there has been a total reliance on whatever plants they can find and fish they can catch.”

According to the UN agencies, if sustained and adequate assistance is delivered urgently, the hunger situation can be improved in the coming months and further suffering mitigated.

The total number of food to secure people is expected to rise to 5.5 million at the height of the lean season in July if nothing is done to curb the severity and spread of thefood crisis.

According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) update released yesterday by the government, the three agencies and other humanitarian partners, 4.9 million people, more than 40% of South Sudan’s population, are in need of urgent food, agriculture and nutritional assistance.