WFP Warns South Sudan Hunger Crisis Is Worsening Amid Conflict and Climate Shocks
Genev: The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has warned that the worsening hunger crisis in South Sudan is becoming increasingly severe amid continuing violence, extreme weather conditions and declining humanitarian assistance, leaving millions facing acute food insecurity.
Matthew Hollingworth, Assistant Executive Director for Programme Operations at the WFP, said during a press conference in Geneva that conflict, displacement, economic hardship, climate shocks and developments in neighbouring Sudan are combining to push millions of people into greater vulnerability as humanitarian resources continue to decline.
Hollingworth, who visited South Sudan last week, said approximately 7.8 million people, or more than half the country’s population, struggle to obtain sufficient food each day.
He added that about 2.2 million children and 1.2 million pregnant and breastfeeding women require urgent nutritional assistance.
The WFP official warned that an additional one million vulnerable people could lose access to life-saving food and nutrition assistance by October unless further resources are secured.
He also highlighted the effects of a strong El Niño weather pattern on South Sudan, saying drought has affected some of the country’s most productive agricultural areas, damaged crops and reduced harvests.
The impact of extreme weather conditions extends beyond South Sudan to neighbouring Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya, contributing to wider food-security pressures across the region.
El Niño is a naturally occurring climate pattern that typically develops every two to seven years, characterised by unusually warm sea-surface temperatures in parts of the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The phenomenon can influence rainfall and temperature patterns across large areas of the world.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres said earlier this month that the effects of the phenomenon are becoming increasingly evident.
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