AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Muthinta Chimoka, the World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director for South Sudan, referring to the severe food crisis in the country, stated that over half of South Sudan's population needs immediate food assistance, and this critical region requires urgent attention to save lives.
Referring to the critical situation in Sudan, particularly Jonglei State, he continued that hundreds of thousands there are suffering from "catastrophic hunger." Approximately 12,000 people are currently in the "very critical" phase of food insecurity. The rise in severe malnutrition, especially among children under five and breastfeeding mothers, is alarming.
According to reports, in the war-torn town of Akobo, the WFP has provided food aid to over 60,000 people. However, the onset of the rainy season could soon make delivering aid impossible.
Chimoka said, "Opportunities are very limited," and the WFP needs approximately 227 million euros to continue providing aid.
Resumption of Conflict and Threat to Peace
A new round of fighting in South Sudan between factions loyal to President Salva Kiir and his long-time rival Riek Machar began in late December in Jonglei State, north of the capital, Juba.
The South Sudanese government says the advance of opposition forces is a serious threat to peace and has called for a halt to the fighting in Jonglei. This comes as the United Nations has warned of escalating conflict and the displacement of hundreds of thousands.
After South Sudan seceded and gained independence from Sudan in 2011, Salva Kiir and Riek Machar were engaged in a five-year civil war from 2013 until they reached a peace agreement in 2018.
In September of that year, the two sides reached an agreement known as the "Revitalized Agreement on the Resolution of the Conflict in the Republic of South Sudan," which led to the formation of a unity government that has been weakening and collapsing amid continued fighting over the past year.
Machar has been expelled from the power-sharing government and is on trial on charges of "crimes against humanity." The country of South Sudan, as the world's youngest independent nation, has been plagued by civil war, poverty, and widespread corruption since its founding in 2011.
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