Sudan Tribune: Famine Declared in Parts of South Sudan

“War and a collapsing economy have left some 100,000 people starving in parts of South Sudan,” reports the government, United Nations agencies and the Sudan Tribune. “An additional one million people in the war-torn nation, the United Nations agencies projected, could be on the brink of famine.” As many as 5 million people in the north part of the country could be at risk by summer. The UN agencies – the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Children’s Fund and the Word Food Program – are calling for an urgent response. South Sudan broke away from Sudan in July 2011, and fighting has disrupted the farming communities near the border. The world evaded massive famines for six years, but Yemen, Somalia and Nigeria are also reported at risk for famine. “The declaration of a famine carries no binding obligations on the UN or member states, but serves to focus global attention on the problem,” explains BBC News. Famine and the conflicts will compound the refugee crisis in Africa. The UN Refugee Agency reports that the number of refugees fleeing South Sudan tops 1.5 million. – YaleGlobal