UN needs over $50m to cover food gap in southern Sudan
August 21, 2009 (JUBA) — The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said yesterday it needs over $50 million to cover the food gap in southern Sudan.
The UN humanitarian body said this urgent financial assistance is necessary to avert severe hunger among southern Sudan inhabitants.
Some 22,000 metric tons of food aid will be needed, and the UN is working with the Government of Sudan, the Government of Southern Sudan, donors and humanitarian partners to secure the financing and supplies needed to ward off a crisis, the OCHA said on Thursday.
The call comes a week after a joint assessment committee found that Southern Sudan needs some 47 million USD to cover the humanitarian needs in the semi-autonomous region. The panel made public its conclusions after inspecting Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal, Jonglei, Eastern Equatoria and Upper Nile to determine how severe the humanitarian crisis might be.
Ms. Lise Grande, the Deputy Resident Humanitarian Coordinator in Southern Sudan also said some 40 percent of southern Sudanese are facing “humanitarian perfect storm,” adding that spiralling tribal fighting, massive food cap and budget shortfall are behind this critical situation.
The World Food Programme plans to increase by 25 percent its food assistance distributed to Southern Sudan this year, to a total of 118,000 metric tonnes, because the number of people facing severe food shortages had now risen to 1.3 million, the WFP said on Friday.
The World Food Programme (WFP) has 80,000 metric tons of food in stock, but will need more than $40 million for food and transportation costs.
Further the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) needs just over $7.5 million to provide nutritional support, while the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) requires $800,000 for its activities.
Half of WFP’s food assistance will go to beneficiaries in Akobo, an area in Jonglei State that has been affected by recent inter-tribal clashes, which have left hundreds dead and thousands displaced.
The review made by the joint mission indicates that 40 per cent of the people in Akobo are food insecure.
(ST)
oshay
UN needs over $50m to cover food gap in southern Sudan
Another embarrassment to the corrupt SPLM that has done nothing for the poor Southern people other than sit on their fat behinds waiting for the oil money to come from the North.
They haven’t established any businesses to generate taxes, loans to farmers to cultivate the rich land or provide security for the people they supposedly liberated.
This is shameful that an Area as green as South Sudan can have people starving while the desert ridden North is always able to feed its people.
Nino
UN needs over $50m to cover food gap in southern Sudan
Nice UNITED NATION, OCHA,
I ask three days ago, we read on the news that south sudan needed $44M, now $50M, Just I want an explanation difference of $6M, is it a calculation error or some CEO’s bonususes? no one cares for the simple human being, every one is using human sufferings to justify the indirect looting, may God protect the poor and punish the crooks…..