South Sudan teetering on brink of hunger catastrophe

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The United Nations estimates almost 4 million people – more than a third of South Sudan's 11 million people – face "severe food insecurity". About 2 million children are malnourished and the UN has warned 50,000 children could die by the end of this year unless the aid effort is scaled up.

Three of South Sudan's states have large areas with an "emergency" level of food insecurity – one category lower than famine. Aid officials fear the food crisis could develop into a full-blown famine in the months ahead.

The Famine Early Warning System Network (Fewsnet), an advisory body set up by the US Government, says the outlook for next year is "of great concern" because displacement, conflict, and seed shortages has prevented many farmers from planting crops.

"Given current accelerated depletion of assets among some households, coping capacity will be much reduced," it says.

With the rainy season in full force, most of the country's roads have become impassable, greatly hampering the food distribution effort. Some communities are reliant on food drops from aircraft which cost about seven or eight times the amount needed for river barge or truck deliveries.

The aid effort has also been hindered by deadly attacks on humanitarian workers. Last week a United Nations Mi-8 helicopter was shot down during a mission to supply aid in the northern town of Bentiu. Three Russian crew members were killed and one injured.

Toby Lanzer, the UN's Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, said the incident was being treated "as a hostile act against the United Nations".

Flights to Bentiu were grounded after the crash, taking an immediate toll on peacekeeping and humanitarian operations in the hard-hit region.

In early August, six unarmed aid workers were murdered in the northern region of Maban, bringing to 13 the number of aid workers killed since the crisis began in December. The Maban killings led to the temporary suspension of critical relief assistance to the region, where 127,000 refugees have taken shelter.

The number of people displaced within South Sudan has climbed by 200,000 over the past month to 1.3 million. Another 450,000 people have fled into the neighbouring countries of Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda.

South Sudan was plunged into civil war in December after President Salva Kiir accused the former vice-president, Riek Machar, of staging a coup. Mr Machar denied the allegation but troops loyal to him have staged a rebellion.

More than 10,000 people have been killed during the conflict and both sides have been accused of serious human rights violations. A series of peace deals have collapsed but the warring sides are under intense international pressure to form a power-sharing government.