Famine hits South Sudan as 100,000 face starvation: UN

By Parach Mach

JUBA, South Sudan

Three years of civil war and a collapsing economy have left no fewer than 100,000 people starving in parts of violence-plagued South Sudan, according to United Nations agencies.

A joint statement released Monday by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), United Nations International Children's Fund (UNICEF) and World Food Programme (WFP) said parts of north-central Unity State are currently being affected by famine.

“A formal famine declaration means people have already started dying of hunger,” it underlined.

The agencies warned that an additional one million people are on the brink of famine in several parts of the country, where farming has been hampered since a military conflict erupted between President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, in December 2013.

War broke out just two years after the country gained independence, leaving tens of thousands of people dead and forcing more than 2.4 million others to flee their homes.

A political settlement signed in August 2015 was stalled when renewed clashes erupted last July between opposing forces backing Kiir and Machar.

According to Monday’s statement, the number of food insecure people is expected to peak to 5.5 million during the coming lean season in July if nothing is done to curb the severity and spread of the food crisis.

“If sustained and adequate assistance is delivered urgently, the hunger situation can be improved in the coming months and further suffering mitigated,” it said.

The UN agencies urged all parties to allow humanitarian organizations unrestricted access to the affected populations, so they can assist the most vulnerable and prevent yet another humanitarian catastrophe.