Massive aid injection needed to avoid catastrophic hunger in S. Sudan

May 14, 14 (BOR) – International aid agency Oxfam has launched a massive appeal for South Sudan to respond generously and without delay to the United Nations appeal at a conference to pledge money in Oslo next Tuesday.

Oxfam called for a massive and rapid global surge in the aid effort to help millions of people at acute risk of hunger and disease in South Sudan saying that the crisis has reached a ‘now or never moment’.

Out of the $1.27 billion (£750 million) the UN appeal is currently only 40 per cent funded – a shortfall of more than $700 million (£415m).

A number of international humanitarian agencies including International Community of the Red Cross (ICRC), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Medicine San Frontiers (MSF), Catholic Relief Service (CRS), World Food Programm (WFP) , OXFAM and many more provided relief food, shelter kits and emergency health service in different areas where civilians were displaced to.

Mark Goldring, Oxfam Chief Executive, said: “The South Sudan crisis is at a tipping point. We either act now or millions will pay the price. We face a mammoth task of getting massive levels of aid to people at the worst time of the year when rains make many areas hard to reach and turn roads into rivers of mud”.

“People need to plant their crops, to rebuild their homes and lives, children need to go back to school, health facilities to be reopened, and the time for it to happen is now. We need a massive and rapid global surge in aid to prevent catastrophic levels of hunger. We cannot afford to wait, we cannot afford to fail”, he continued.

Since the conflict broke out last December there has been an alarming increase in the numbers of people facing hunger and children suffering from malnutrition.

Thousands of people engulfed by the conflict suffered hunger and diseases in the states of Jonglei, Upper Nile and Unity.

(ST)