South Sudan: Famine Declared
South Sudan’s government has officially declared two counties in the nation to be suffering from famine.
The government, along with three agencies from the United Nations, has confirmed that there is a severe scarcity in food in these two regions of the country, and that more than 100 000 people in these areas are suffering because of it.
The UN has also said that they fear the famine might spread to other parts of the country. They estimate that there are currently an additional one million people that are on the brink of starvation in the country.
The famine is a direct result of the great economic crisis the country is facing at the moment.
South Sudan has been embroiled in a bitter civil war for the past three years that has wrecked havoc on the already fragile economy, and has left most of the country’s residents stricken with poverty.
This, in turn, has caused locals to have limited access to basic needs, including food.
UN officials have said that, while famine has officially been declared in parts of the country, South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, and his government are still actively blocking food aid to certain parts of the country.
The United Nations and other human rights organisations have tried to aid the people of South Sudan in various ways, including sending food aid and health officials to the country.
