WFP still needs $250m to assist displaced S. Sudanese
March 23, 2015 (JUBA) – The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) says it has a budget shortfall of $250 million urgently needed to reach internally displaced people in South Sudan before the onset of the rainy season.
Cousin said WFP had planned to transport thousands of metric tons of food to people trapped in conflict zones before the April, the traditional onset of rains in South Sudan.
“The difficult news is that we don’t have enough money to get all these programs going. We are US$ 250 million dollars short, with all the commitments that donors have made, just to operate our programmes for the next six months,” said the official.
In January, donors meeting in Nairobi and pledged about $500 million to meet urgent humanitarian needs in South Sudan before June. This came almost a year after a big donor conference held in Oslo, Norway helped South Sudan avert looming famine.
At the end of 2014, humanitarian agencies renewed their warnings, saying many people remained trapped in conflict areas between the government and rebels.
“So, we need donor help. WFP is 100% voluntarily funded. And we need the people in the world to recognize that there is hope in South Sudan,” she said.
Conflict erupted in South Sudan in late 2013 and has displaced 2 million people, disrupted livelihoods and sharply worsened levels of hunger and malnutrition.
However, the world largest humanitarian agency fears that food insecurity will only get worse as the nation moves into the lean season without an end to the conflict in sight.
Meanhile, WFP reportedly aims to assist three million people in South Sudan this year, including life-saving emergency assistance for the conflict-affected, nutrition support for mothers and children, food assistance for refugees, school meals, and asset-creation initiatives aimed at helping communities improve their food security and resilience.
(ST)