The UN warns that around 8 million people are at risk of starvation in South Sudan

South Sudan, Bilkey Payam, Akobo County, Jonglei state, 3 January 2021 In the Photo: Nyal Chol Liech Muon (right), 30, collecting food at WFP's distribution point in Bilkey Payam where most of the recently displaced families escaping violence and flooding have sought shelter. Cash and food distribution are the only means available to support the vulnerable population in Akobo east. Nyal Chol is a woman who built an impressive dyke to shield her and her large family from drowning in floodwaters. Nyal Chol refused to leave her home by the riverbank, fearing her children would struggle if they become displaced. The last WFP distribution in Akobo County took place in August 2020 to cover people’s needs in the lean season. But due to people's inability to access their farmlands because of conflict, WFP resumed its access and distributions to Akobo east at the end of December 2020. Photo: WFP/Theresa Piorr
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  • South Sudan is on the brink of an all-out economic collapse. 
  • This is due to the country’s inability to manage its numerous crisis. 
  • The UN warns that the food crises would become preeminent by next year.

A recent report by the United Nations earlier today revealed that a third of the South Sudanese population are at risk of starvation.

Riddled with internal conflicts, which have spanned most of its young lifespan, South Sudan currently stands as one of the poorest countries in the world, with a little over a dozen countries posting poorer numbers than it.

As a result, the country is utterly ill-equipped to deal with complex economic challenges, some of which include climate change and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

In the previous month alone, the UN’s emergency response agency OCHA reported that around 909,000 people were affected by the floods in South Sudan.

The recent joint report by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the UN children’s fund UNICEF and the World Food Program disclosed that the country is currently facing its worst food insecurity ever.

The report revealed that the country has not faced this level of malnourishment and food scarcity since it became independent. The current food crisis in the country right now even tops the 2013-2016 food crisis in the country that was spurred by civil war. Around 400,000 Sudanese people lost their lives during the conflict that lasted five years from 2013.

Currently, the UN estimates that 7.76 million people are likely to face acute food insecurity in 2023, while 1.4 million children will be malnourished.

“Hunger and malnutrition are on the rise across the flood, drought, and conflict-affected areas of South Sudan, with some communities likely to face starvation if humanitarian assistance is not sustained and climate adaptation measures are not scaled up” The report read in part.

According to the report, conflict, poor macroeconomic conditions, extreme climate events, spiraling costs of food and fuel, and a decline in funding for humanitarian programs are the cause of food insecurity.

Source Business Insider