Chollo Community Council - Declaration of hunger and food crisis in Collo Kingdom

18.4.2016

To: Heads of UN Agencies and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and concerned International Partners.

Subject: Declaration of hunger and food crisis in Collo Kingdom

Many people and concerned humanitarian organizations around the world might have heard about the serious hunger situation in different parts of South Sudan. Due to lack of transparency and being ashamed of its own failures which are the real causes of hunger, food crisis and no development but rampant corruption in the young country, the government of South Sudan doesn’t have the courage to declare hunger and food crisis that is affecting its population currently. Collo Community Council in Khartoum out of concern for human lives and the untold suffering of the people of South Sudan would like to confirm that the hunger situation is a reality as evidenced by the mass  exodus of ordinary citizens from North Bahr El Ghazal to Sudan. The number of people affected by hunger is unknown for the simple reason that the government in Juba doesn’t care although people are actually dying. As it will be seen later the government itself is a contributing factor in the hunger situation in Collo Kingdom.

Who on earth would have thought that a country such as South Sudan would experience food shortages? Many parts of this young country and especially Collo kingdom boost tremendous food production potential for both local consumption and export. There are vast and highly fertile lands, with huge quantity of water from the River Nile  and rain. This adds to the immense number of livestock and the unexploited petroleum and other mineral resources. Fish is a further untapped food item. Unfortunately, all these potentials cannot be realized to benefit the citizens due to armed conflict and instability. It is rightly stated that peace and stability are key for reconstruction and development. The people of South Sudan are suffering, starving and even dying amid abundance due to conflict and war. The current hunger and food crisis in Collo kingdom are attributed to the following:

1) Displacement of Collo Civilian population  from their land due to  war and  conflict imposed on them by the Government of Salva Kiir in December 2013. Consequently,many residents of Collo kingdom were forced to run away  from  their land and went to  the  UNMISS  Camps for protection as safe havens  in Malakal, while some  people went to  neighbouring  Sudan  to take refuge in refugee camps in White Nile and South Kordofan.  Some came to Khartoum and other towns where they are living  on their own  under difficult conditions. As  a result  of this huge displacement ,the land  which  used to be cultivated  to provide its inhabitants  with food security  was left uncultivated with exception of limited areas cultivated by a small number of civilians  who remained in hiding  near their villages and some relatively safe places such as Wau Shilluk, Tonga and Kodok . Unfortunately, those vulnerable people are not in apposition to produce enough food for their own consumption due to insecurity caused by the frequent aerial and missile bombardment of their villages and  the above-mentioned centers.

2) Lack of agricultural inputs ( seeds and tools).The years 2014  and 2015 witnessed little food  crop  cultivation in  many villages and areas in Collo kingdom  on  the western bank of the  White Nile because the small number of the vulnerable people who had remained in  their villages  could not  cultivate large  crop areas due to lack of seeds and agricultural  tools. Those poor people had to barter and exchange their animals (sheep/goat) for the smuggled grains from the neighbouring Sudan in order to get small quantities of seeds for cultivation.

3) Adverse weather condition and its  impact on  crop cultivation  and  food security  in the Collo Kingdom during agricultural  season 2015/2016. Although, the people who remained in their respective villages  and those who  were in  the relatively safe centers like Wau Shilluk, Panyikang counties, Fashoda and Manyo tried very hard to cultivate food crops in agricultural season 2015/2016, unfortunately, there was a huge crop failure ranging from 90 -100 %  in many places due to drought which  destroyed the crops before harvesting. So the agricultural season, 2015 and 2016 was a very bad season resulting in the hunger and food crisis that have already started in the whole Collo kingdom.

As a result, we the Collo  Community Council is appealing to UN Agencies ,NGOs and International Humanitarian Partners  to urgently  intervene  to  rescue the vulnerable civilian population in the Collo kingdom from this hunger and food crisis through the provision of the following :

1. Relief, and Emergency food Aid general distribution (WFP, NGOS and Partners).

2. Agricultural Inputs( Seeds & Tools), Fishing nets, Livestock drugs and vaccinations (FAO, NGOs and Partners)

3. Shelters  and Education Materials,( UNICEF, UNHCR  and NGOs)

4. Health Services,( medicines and drugs)  ICRC,MSF,UNICEF, and others)

Last, but not least, Collo Community  Council  would  like to  express its sincere gratitude and  appreciation  to all  the UN Agencies, NGOs  and International Humanitarian partners for the  valuable life-saving support they have been providing  under difficult conditions of conflict  and war to  our people. We urge you to continue your support to our needy  and vulnerable people  in Wau Shilluk, Tonga, Kodok  and other areas in  Collo Kingdom ,as well  as in  UNMISS protection camps in Malakal. The Council also urge you to help all the needy communities in South Sudan especially those which the government in Juba is reluctant to support. Likewise, we would like to express our gratitude and thanks to UN agencies and NGOs who are delivering humanitarian services to our vulnerable people in the White Nile and South Kordofan states of neighbouring Sudan.   

Samson Oyay Awin, Chairman of Collo Community Council, Khartoum

CC: World Food Programme

CC: FAO

CC: UNICEF

CC: UNHCR

CC: ICRC

CC: MSF

CC: World Vision

CC: Food for Hungry