March 13, 2021(Nyamilepedia) — Over 8.3 million people are currently projected to be in dire need of urgent humanitarian assistance in South Sudan according to a press release dated March 11, 2021.
Two years of devastating floods amid continued political and inter-communal conflicts and food insecurity in the recent past have left the country’s population very vulnerable.
The report projects that over 7 million people will be in a state of food insecurity by April 2021.
According to the humanitarian agencies report, of greater concern however is that over 100,000 people over the next few months are anticipated to be in critical levels of food insecurity and may face the risk of dying from starvation, malnutrition and related diseases.
During a visit to Pibor and Akobo on March 9 2021, the local population expressed fears to the visiting NGOs among them the UN Humanitarian Coordinator that the approaching rains would worsen the situation.
Rosalind Crowther, the CARE International County Director, reported that years of repeated conflict and flooding had left the population of Pibor in a gigantic humanitarian crisis. She fronted that without immediate assistance, scores of people are bound to die of entirely preventable causes.
“Women, men and children in Pibor who have been through years of repeated conflict and flooding tell us today that they are living through one of the worst periods of hunger in years,” said Crowther adding that “Without immediate and significant increase in humanitarian assistance, more people will die of entirely preventable causes.”
Despite the efforts by humanitarian agencies to rescue the ugly situation, 2020 has seen a noticeable increase on humanitarians being targeted and killed in South Sudan.
The trend has crossed over to 2021 with health workers being attacked and thus posing a real challenge.
“In Warrap State, where thousands are suffering from catastrophic hunger and malnutrition, humanitarian services have been severely disrupted by outbreaks of violence with NGOs unable to bring critical life-saving assistance to those who need it.” The report read in part.
The NGOs across South Sudan have repeatedly called on National and international parties to act immediately.
They have demanded that unhindered access to civilians must be guaranteed while also calling for a scale up of humanitarian response in order to prevent the devastating loss of life.
South Sudan president, General Salva Kiir Mayardit donated trucks and encouraged farmers to increase food productions over the years but with war, floods and famines, little has materialized from such efforts.
