South Sudan: More than half of nation facing food crisis

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Three United Nations agencies say more than half of South Sudan’s population is facing extreme hunger.

In a report released by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, the UN Children’s Fund and World Food Program, almost 7 million of South Sudan’s 12.5 million population is trapped in a food crisis.

Humanitarian aid urgently needed

According to the report, humanitarian aid is urgently needed by those facing extreme hunger and the number of those affected continues to grow, despite a peace deal signed last year bringing an end to the country’s five-year civil war – the largest contributor to South Sudan’s current food crisis.

People in the Greater Upper Nile region, Bahr el Ghazal and Equatoria are most at risk from food shortages. The lean season in July brings extended periods of poor rainfall, resulting in little or no harvest and depleted food stocks. People in these regions often go hungry and as many as 50,000 people will face famine-like conditions at the height of the lean seasons this year, according to the UN agencies.

Featured image: “2015 Trevor Blackburn Award: Dinka cattle camp in Bahr el Ghazal, South Sudan” flickr photo by British Veterinary Association (BVA) https://flickr.com/photos/britishvets/21030517703 shared under a Creative Commons (BY-SA) license

About Aaron Brooks

Aaron Brooks is a UK journalist who wants to cut out the international agendas in news. Spending his early years in both England and Northern Ireland he saw the difference between reality and media coverage at an early age. After graduating from the University of Chester with a BA in journalism, his travels revealed just how large the gap between news and the real world can be. As Editor-in-Chief at East Africa Monitor, it’s his job to provide a balanced view of what’s going on in the region for English-speaking audiences.