According to the organization, 7.76 million people are at risk of acute food insecurity during the lean season from April to July 2023, while 1.4 million children will suffer from malnutrition.
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Nearly eight million people in South Sudan, two-thirds of the population, are at risk of food insecurity and starvation, the UN warned in a report released on Thursday (November 3rd). “Hunger and malnutrition are on the rise in areas of South Sudan affected by floods, drought and conflict, and some communities are at risk of starvation if humanitarian assistance is not maintained and disaster relief measures are not maintained. climate adaptation are not enhanced”says the report.
The joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Program (WFP) observes that the proportion of people facing high levels of food insecurity and malnutrition “has never been so high”surpassing the levels seen even during the conflict in 2013 and 2016.
According to the report, 7.76 million people are at risk of acute food insecurity during the lean season from April to July 2023, while 1.4 million children will suffer from malnutrition. The report blames a combination of conflict, poor macroeconomic conditions, extreme weather events and spiraling food and fuel costs, as well as a drop in funding for humanitarian programs.
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“We’ve been in starvation prevention mode all year and avoided the worst outcomes, but that’s not enough”said Makena Walker, acting country director of the WFP in South Sudan, in a press release. “South Sudan is on the frontline of the climate crisis and day after day families are losing their homes, livestock, fields and hope to extreme weather conditions”she adds.