South Sudan is facing the cruellest food crisis ever, the World Food Program (WFP) warned in a report on Thursday. In 2020, about 5.5 million Sudanese people to “be going hungry” in a month. The reason for such a complex situation is drought, natural disasters and the uncertain political future.
South Sudan’s people urgently need the support of the international community to fight the possible famine, WFP Executive Director David Beasley said quoting the recent report. It is not the first case when the region is on the edge of famine. South Sudan survived famine four months in 2017 only through “a concerted large-scale humanitarian response.”
“We know the problems that we’ve been having in South Sudan, but the rains and the floods have led to a national disaster and are much worse than anyone could have anticipated,” Beasley added and warned if South Sudan doesn’t get funding in the next few weeks, its people is going hungry in early 2020.
“We need support, we need help and we need it now,” WFP boss said.
South Sudan is the world’s newest-born state, it still needs financial support and joint efforts of the international community to strengthen its sociopolitical potential. Without food, it is just impossible.
According to WFP report, almost 1 million people have directly suffered flooding which “destroyed 73,000 metric tons of potential harvests and wiped out tens of thousands of cattle and goats on which people depend for survival”.
WFP’s continuous support to South Sudan help the African country to survive
The WFP expressed the urgent need for $100 million in the next month in order to “buy and pre-position food” before the rainy season expected in May 2020, and amid continued political turmoil over the country’s future.
South Sudan slid into crisis when President Kiir sacked Riek Machar as vice president in December 2013 on suspicion of plotting a coup, followed by a protracted civil war that claimed the lives of tens of thousands and forced 4 million people to flee their homes.
A peace deal between the two, expected this fall, has so far been elusive.
