The United Nations warned Thursday that levels of severe food insecurity in South Sudan are at historic highs, exceeding the figures recorded during the conflict, a situation exacerbated by climate change, which has caused floods and droughts in recent months in the African country.
The agency has highlighted in a statement that about two-thirds of the population, equivalent to about 7.8 million people, could suffer acute food insecurity between April and July 2023, including 1.4 million malnourished children, while noting that some communities could face famine if international humanitarian aid is not increased.
Thus, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Program (WFP) have explained that the percentage of people at the highest level of food insecurity and malnutrition exceeds the figures seen in 2013 and 2016, something they have blamed on the combined impact of conflict, poor macroeconomic conditions, extreme weather events and rising food and fuel costs.
«We have been in famine prevention mode all year and have prevented the worst outcomes, but it is not enough,» stressed WFP South Sudan Country Director Makena Walker, who explained that the country «is on the front lines of the climate crisis.» «Day by day, families are losing their homes, livestock, fields and hope because of extreme weather,» she said.
«Without humanitarian food aid, millions more people will find themselves in an increasingly difficult situation and unable to meet the most basic food needs of their families,» he stressed, a line that was echoed by the FAO representative in the country, Meshack Malo, who argued that «livelihood support is needed to facilitate the resilience of South Sudan in terms of food production».
Malo has stated that «the potential exists, given that 840,000 tons of cereals were produced in 2021, in a difficult year due to climate change, floods, conflict and other factors.» «With the current cereal deficit, which is 541,000 tons, urgent investment is needed in rural areas to increase production and the level of self-sufficiency,» he has defended.
For his part, the UNICEF representative in South Sudan, Jesper Moller, stressed that «during the last three years, the floods have dramatically affected an increasing number of people» in the country and detailed that «among those impacted there is a growing number of malnourished or food insecure children that the international community cannot ignore».
«To effectively protect children from the effects of climate change we must ensure that we reach the most vulnerable children with an essential package of multi-sectoral interventions at the social services level,» he argued.
Finally, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the country, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, has advocated that the report «is key to formulating humanitarian response plans to help meet the needs of the population in the country.» «These figures show that the people of South Sudan need help more than ever. It is crucial to receive donor commitments by 2023 in order to avoid a worsening humanitarian situation in the country,» he concluded.
