With
returnees fleeing the conflict in Sudan and young children facing some of the
highest levels of hunger and malnutrition as economic pressures, climate
extremes, and the effects of Sudan's war drive worsen hunger, alarming new food
security data from South Sudan shows 57 percent of the population will be
severely food insecure through the 2025 lean season.
Published on
Monday, the most recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (|PC)
indicates that, starting April, more than 85 percent of returnees leaving Sudan
will be severely food deprived through the next lean season.
They will
also make up almost half of those facing catastrophic hunger as they struggle
to rebuild their lives amidst an unprecedented economic crisis, severe
flooding, and prioritization of resources as needs outpace funding.
"The
emergence of the economic crisis and associated high food prices as a key
driver of food insecurity sends a powerful message that it is time to
collectively increase our investment in supporting South Sudanese to produce
their own food. This will not only reduce the household food budget but will
also create more employment opportunities in the agriculture sector and
increase household incomes so that they can seek more healthy diets," said
Meshack Malo, country representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations in South Sudan, in a joint press release seen by
The Radio Community (TRC).
While
returnees fleeing the Sudan war are expected to have the highest levels of food
insecurity, many communities across South Sudan will continue to struggle as
the economic crisis, extreme flooding, prolonged dry spells, and conflict
continue to interrupt gains made.
"Year
after year we see hunger reaching some of the highest levels we've seen in
South Sudan, and when we look at the areas with the highest levels of food
insecurity, it's clear that a cocktail of despair-conflict and the climate
crisis are the main drivers," said Mary-Ellen McGroarty, Country Director
and Representative for the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in South
Sudan.
"To
reach zero hunger in South Sudan, it's vital that the root causes of hunger are
addressed; communities need peace, they need stability, and they need
opportunities to build or rebuild livelihoods and help them withstand future
shocks."
Meanwhile,
almost 2.1 million children are at-risk of malnutrition, up from 1.65 million.
Children are
returning to nutrition centers multiple times throughout the year as they
continue to suffer from poor access to safe drinking water and sanitation.
Illness is a major contributing factor to their malnutrition, and almost half
of all children included in the data collected had been ill in the two weeks
prior.
"Malnutrition
is the end result of a series of crises, most notable for South Sudan is
ongoing poor sanitation and prevalence of waterborne diseases, alongside severe
food insecurity. UNICEF is deeply concerned that the number of children and
mothers at risk of malnutrition will continue to increase unless efforts to
prevent malnutrition by addressing its root causes are scaled up, alongside the
provision of immediate nutrition support to treat malnutrition among children
who are at higher risk of death," said Ms. Hamida Lasseko, UNICEF
Representative in South Sudan.
The IPC also
indicates that the impact of concurrent crises in South Sudan is far reaching,
with the overall number of people facing acute food insecurity projected to
increase to almost 7.7 million (57 percent of the population) through the next
lean season, up from 7.1 million this year.