South Sudan humanitarian crisis worsens

Millions of people are facing starvation, famine and food insecurity in South Sudan due to the ongoing civil war and social strife, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said yesterday.

UNOCHA late last month declared that certain parts of South Sudan were now dealing with famine while another one million people are classified as on the brink.

At least 100,000 people are currently starving, the UN organization said, and up to six million are in need of humanitarian aid.

And now, the situation is likely to be exacerbated as the South Sudan government ordered the evacuation of all humanitarian agencies from the central state of Mayendit in preparation for a major offensive against rebels there.

Mayendit is one of the famine-hit areas.

Citing immeasurable suffering among the civilian population, Eugene Owusu, the Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan said: “I implore all parties to this conflict to uphold their responsibilities under international humanitarian law, place the plight of the people first, give aid workers unfettered access and protect civilians.”

Forces loyal to clashed with allies indicating that the three-year civil War never ended but has been festering for some time.

The security situation in South Sudan, which celebrated its fifth independence anniversary on July 9, began to deteriorate on December 15, 2013 when President Salva Kiir accused Vice-President Riek Macharof of masterminding a coup attempt. Some reports said that members of the Presidential Guard loyal to Machar engaged in a gun battle with security forces supporting Kiir.

Hostilities erupted when other supporters of the two men, from rival tribes, clashed in the capital Juba.

Since December 2013, more than 3 million people have been displaced, including about 1.5 million who fled to neighboring countries. More than 700,000 fled to Uganda alone.

South Sudan is now considered one of the worst refugee crisis in the world.

The BRICS Post with inputs by Agencies