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
Sudan Tribune: Famine Declared in Parts of South Sudan
The UN warns about famine in South Sudan, a result of war and economic collapse, and growing risks in Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia; calls for urgent response
Monday, February 20, 2017
The UNHCR reports on refugees fleeing South Sudan: “The majority of the refugees are being hosted by Uganda, where a total of some 698,000 have now arrived. In less than six months, Uganda has more than tripled its population of South Sudanese refugees, hosting the largest share of the people who have fled their homes in the neighbouring country. Ethiopia is also hosting some 342,000, while more than 305,000 otthers are in Sudan and some 89,000 in Kenya, 68,000 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 4,900 in the Central African Republic.”
Read more about the famine in South Sudan and response from UN agencies from BBC News.
Sudan Tribune
Copyright © 2003-2017 SudanTribune - All rights reserved.