WFP continues providing food to conflict-hit South Sudan
July 8, 2015 (KHARTOUM/JUBA) – The Governments of Sudan, South Sudan and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) have extended for six months an agreement that allows the delivery of food assistance from Sudan to South Sudan where hundreds of thousands of people face acute hunger due to the ongoing conflict.
The agreement, the agency said, has so far enabled the timely delivery of over 20,000 metric tons of food assistance from White Nile State in Sudan to some 300,000 conflict-affected people in Maban, Melut, Renk and Wadakona in the northern part of Upper Nile State in South Sudan who depend mainly on food assistance delivered via this corridor.
“We are proud to be a key partner in this initiative that is helping hundreds of thousands of people who are facing an extremely hard time and need life-saving food assistance as the conflict in South Sudan continues to take its toll on them,” said Ahmed Mohamed Adam, the Humanitarian Aid commissioner.
The Joint Technical Committee on the Passage of Humanitarian Assistance from Sudan to South Sudan – comprised of representatives of the Governments of South Sudan, Sudan and WFP –has been overseeing the implementation of the agreement.
“We are deeply grateful to the Government of Sudan and WFP for their continued support which has put us in good stead to respond to the needs of our people,” Mayan Dut Waal, the South Sudanese ambassador to Sudan said.
The committee, according to WFP, has made two field visits to Kosti, White Nile State for follow-up and close monitoring to ensure smooth and successful management of the operation. The committee reportedly meets on a weekly basis and recently met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and decided to extend the agreement for another six additional months.
“WFP in South Sudan pre-positioned food before more than half of the country became inaccessible by road due to rains and floods,” said Joyce Luma, the WFP representative and country director for South Sudan.
“The extension of the MoU will help ensure that the most food-insecure people in South Sudan receive vital food assistance in a timely and efficient manner,” she added.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed and nearly two million displaced since violent conflict broke out in the world’s youngest nation in mid-December 2013.
“Keeping this assistance corridor between the two countries open and working smoothly is key to ensuring that tens of thousands of people do not go hungry,” said Adnan Khan, the WFP representative and country director for the North African country.
“WFP Sudan is also providing much-needed food assistance to over 100,000 South Sudanese who have fled conflict in their country and entered the states of South Kordofan, North Kordofan, West Kordofan and White Nile in Sudan,” he added.
A recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification analysis estimated that 4.6 million people in South Sudan could face acute hunger thus need urgent food assistance.
(ST).