Millions of S. Sudanese struggling to find what to eat: ICRC

October 16, 2019 (JUBA) – More than half of the population in South Sudan is struggling to have enough to eat, an aid agency said on Wednesday.

In a statement issued to mark World Food Day, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said while food insecurity has improved slightly since the same period last year, millions of South Sudanese are still depend on food aid for survival.

World Food Day is celebrated every October 16 to honour the date when the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization started in 1945.

“The hunger crisis in South Sudan is man-made,” said Ottavio Sardu, head of ICRC’s livelihood and food security programs in South Sudan.

“Years of conflict and violence have uprooted millions from their homes and livelihoods. People need resources and stability to plant, rebuild, and start a new life,” he added.

Meanwhile ICRC said it has provided food, seeds, and farming tools to more than one million people in South Sudanese this year alone.

“This is a promising sign they will have food to harvest later in the year, unless fighting forces them to flee and abandon what they planted or other unforeseen events,” said Ottavio.

The international aid agency further said it has reached 67 locations across the young nation with projects that support long-term food production in the country since the beginning of the year.

About 7 million people, according to a recent report released by South Sudan government and three UN agencies, are facing severe hunger.

South Sudan descended into war in mid-December 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused his former deputy-turned rebel leader Riek Machar for plotting a coup, allegations he dismissed.

(ST)