1.2 people to face severe food insecurity in S. Sudan: report

November 6, 2017 (JUBA) – About 1.2 million people in war-hit South Sudan could experience severe food insecurity by end of this year, although it represents a drop from 6 million in June, an updated Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report showed.

The report, released on Monday by South Sudan government, United Nations agencies and other humanitarian partners, also projected that the food security situation will deteriorate at the start of 2018, and the hungry season will arrive three months earlier than usual, when households will likely run out of food before the next harvest.

“A massive humanitarian response helped stop famine in parts of the country this year. But even in the current harvest period, millions of people need sustained assistance to survive,” said Adnan Khan, WFP Representative in South Sudan during the launch of the document.

“It is chilling to see that in a worst-case scenario, similar conditions could appear in multiple places in the lean season in 2018,” he added.

According to the UN, the current harvest season has not brought enough food to end the hunger crisis in South Sudan, as conflict persists in most of the African countries and hyperinflation puts food out of reach for many.

“The harvest season has not brought much relief to the millions of people in South Sudan who don’t have enough food. The country’s greenbelt has been ravaged by fighting, and finding a peaceful solution to this man-made tragedy should be the top priority or the situation will get even worse next year,” said Serge Tissot, South Sudan Representative for Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Malnutrition, the IPC report further state, has also worsened in South Sudan this year when compared to the same period last year, with surveys showing malnutrition rates in most communities well above the WHO’s emergency threshold of 15 per cent, and with more than 30 per cent of the population malnourished in several counties.

More than 1.1 million children under the age of five are forecast to be malnourished in 2018, including nearly 300,000 severely malnourished and at a heightened risk of death, the report says.

“Too many children are going hungry in South Sudan. More than one in five of those struggling to feed themselves is a child under five years of age,” said Mahimbo Mdoe, UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan, adding “This has created a malnutrition crisis that is putting many lives at risk.”

Also cited in the new report are the setbacks associated with a collapsing economy as prices have soared due to the high inflation in the young nation.

(ST)