UN food agency launches urgent appeal for South Sudan

In this Jan 12, 2014, file photo, a man carrying his belongings stands among the remains of buildings destroyed by the recent fighting, after government forces retook from rebel forces the provincial capital of Bentiu, in Unity State, South Sudan. The UN’s food agency launched an urgent appeal Wednesday, Feb. 5, to raise $77 million (57 million euros) for South Sudan, threatened by a major food crisis as basic commodities run out. AP PHOTO/MACKENZIE KNOWLES-COURSIN

ROME—The UN’s food agency launched an urgent appeal Wednesday to raise $77 million (57 million euros) for South Sudan, threatened by a major food crisis as basic commodities run out.

The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said 3.7 million people “are now facing acute or emergency levels of food insecurity” and seven million people “are at risk of some level of food insecurity in the world’s newest nation.”

Thousands are believed to have been killed in South Sudan during fighting between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and a loose coalition of army defectors and ethnic militia, and over 870,000 people have fled their homes in the last six weeks.

“South Sudan was already the scene of one of the world’s largest humanitarian operations before the fighting began, and the situation is now deteriorating rapidly,” said Sue Lautze, FAO’s head of office in South Sudan.

“Markets have collapsed, infrastructure is damaged, foreign traders have fled, commodity supply corridors have been disrupted by violence, and rural populations are unable to bring their crops, livestock and fish to market for sale,” she said.

‘Basic commodities running out’

The agency said it was calling for $77 million “for critical food security… as prices of staple crops soar and basic commodities run out.”

Dominique Burgeon, director of FAO’s emergency and rehabilitation division, said supply corridors have been disrupted or completely shut down in many areas of the landlocked country of almost 11 million people.

“Farmers need urgent assistance to access vital agricultural inputs in time. Missing the main planting season will have serious knock-on effects on food production and availability in the country in 2014 and on into 2015,” he said.

“Continued violence is obviously hampering the humanitarian response, but FAO will work with local partners on the ground to get vital supplies to vulnerable livestock owners, fishers, farmers and urban populations in the country,” he added.