Earlier this month, the United Nations agency started Aerodynamic emergency food assistance In the state of the top of the Nile, after having increased conflicts, forced the families of their home and pushed the communities on the edge of the famine.
Nationally, the image is just as alarming, half of the country’s population – more than 7.7 million people – officially classified as security without security by the UN partner IPC platform. This includes more than 83,000 “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity.
“The extent of suffering here does not make the headlines but Millions of mothers, fathers and children pass every day to fight hunger to survive, »Say Wfp Deputy Executive Director Carl Skau, after a visit to South Sudan last week.
The most affected areas include the higher state of the Nile, where the fighting has moved thousands of people and access to rescue is restricted. Two counties may reverse you in famine: Nasir and Ulang.
South Sudan, the youngest country in the world, acquired independence in 2011. This gave way to a brutal and devastating civil war that ended in 2018 thanks to a peace agreement between political rivals that have largely held.
However, recent political tensions and an increase in violent attacks – in particular in the state of the upper Nile – threaten todisentangleThe peace agreement and refer the nation to conflict.
The humanitarian emergency crisis was exacerbated by the war in neighboring Sudan.
Since April 2023, nearly 1.2 million people have crossed the border of South Sudan, many of which are hungry, traumatized and without support. PAM says that 2.3 million children across the country are now risking malnutrition.
Crucial but fragile gains
Despite these challenges, the United Nations agency has provided emergency food aid to more than two million people this year. In the county of Uror, in the state of Jonglei, where access was coherent, all the known pocket of catastrophic hunger were eliminated. In addition, 10 counties where conflicts have softened have seen improved harvests and better food security, because people were able to return to their land.
To reach those in the hardest affected and most remote regions, the PAM has made air parachymas offering 430 tonnes of food to 40,000 people in the upper large Nile. River convoys have taken up the most effective way to transport aid to a country with limited infrastructure. These included an expedition of July 16 of 1,380 metric tonnes of food and rescue supplies. The WFP Humanitarian Air Service also continues flights to seven higher destinations in the Nile.
At the same time, an epidemic of cholera at the top of the Nile has exerted additional pressure on the humanitarian response. Since March, the WFP logistics cluster has transported an airplane of 109 metric tonnes of supplies linked to cholera to the affected areas of Haut-Nile and states of unit.
However, the United Nations agency claims that it can currently only argue 2.5 million people-and often with only half-assets. Without an urgent injection of $ 274 million, deeper cuts to help will start in September.
“WFP has the tools and the delivery capacity,” said Skau. “But without funding – and without peace – our hands are linked. »»
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
