‘Unprecedented’ hunger in war-torn S. Sudan: UN

In this file photo, South Sudan army soldiers walk to board a military helicopter at Juba international airport, before heading to Bor, 180km northwest from the capital. (Reuters)

JUBA: Over a third of South Sudanese face starvation as the war-torn nation runs the risk of a full-blown famine, the UN and government said Wednesday.
Despite a peace deal to end civil war, nearly five million people — more than ever before in the world’s youngest nation — need food aid to survive. “The risk of famine cannot be ruled out,” Minster for Agriculture Lam Akol said, a warning backed by the UN.
Civil war erupted in South Sudan in December 2013 but rebel chief Riek Machar returned to the capital in April as part of a peace deal which saw him become vice president, forging a unity government with President Salva Kiir.
Aid workers have been able to access some of the hardest hit areas since then, but violence continues between multiple militia forces who now pay no heed to either Kiir or Machar.
“The level of food insecurity this year is unprecedented,” the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN children’s agency UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) said in a joint statement.
“Up to 4.8 million people in South Sudan — well over one-third of the population — will be facing severe food shortages over the coming months, and the risk of a hunger catastrophe continues,” they added.