Nearly eight million South Sudanese face acute hunger risk

South Sudan Faces High Levels of Food Insecurity Amid Ongoing Conflict

A United Nations report has warned that nearly eight million people in South Sudan are at risk of acute hunger due to worsening conflict and displacement. The report states that 7.8 million, or 56 percent of the population, will experience high levels of food insecurity in the coming months.

The Food and Agriculture Organization, World Food Programme, and UNICEF have called on the international community to take immediate action to address the situation. According to the report, the number of children under six months old suffering from acute malnutrition has increased by 100,000 over the past six months, reaching a total of 2.2 million.

The report also notes that 700,000 children are at risk of dying due to malnutrition. Many nutritional services in South Sudan have been damaged or closed due to ongoing fighting, reducing access to life-saving treatment. Supply shortages and inadequate funding have further exacerbated the situation.

The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan is being fueled by ethnic conflict, climate change, and the spillover of fighting from neighboring Sudan. The country’s economic crisis has also contributed to the worsening situation. South Sudan remains one of the poorest countries in the world.

Recent clashes between government forces and opposition groups have intensified, with tensions centered around a long-standing feud between President Salva Kiir Mayardit and suspended Vice President Riek Machar. Machar is currently on trial in Juba on charges of murder, treason, and crimes against humanity, which he denies.

The international community has been urged to take immediate action to address the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan.

Source: Al Jazeera