Juba, South Sudan — The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) began airdropping emergency food assistance to thousands of families in South Sudan's Upper Nile State, where surging conflict since March has forced families from their homes and pushed some communities to the brink of famine. These distributions mark WFP's first access in over four months to deliver life-saving food and nutrition assistance to more than 40,000 people facing catastrophic hunger in the most remote parts of Nasir and Ulang counties, areas only accessible by air.
"The link between conflict and hunger is tragically clear in South Sudan and we've seen this over the past few months in Upper Nile," said Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP Country Director in South Sudan. "Without a major scale-up in assistance, the counties of Nasir and Ulang risk slipping into full-blown famine. We urgently need to get food to these families, and we are doing everything possible to reach those who need it most before the situation spirals."
More than one million people across Upper Nile are facing acute hunger, including over 32,000 people already experiencing Catastrophic levels of hunger (IPC5) - the highest level of food insecurity. This figure has tripled since armed conflict flared in March, triggering mass displacement, including across the border into Ethiopia where WFP is providing life-saving food aid to around 50,000 people who have fled from Upper Nile in search of food and safety.
WFP aims to reach 470,000 people in Upper Nile and Northern Jonglei through the lean season - the hungriest time of year, which runs through August - but continued fighting and logistical constraints have hindered access and a comprehensive response. WFP has only been able to reach 300,000 people in Upper Nile so far this year.
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The main river routes into the state must be reopened urgently in order to reach hungry families with sustained humanitarian support. These routes are the most cost-effective way to reach large swathes of Upper Nile and northern Jonglei states to deliver crucial assistance but have been blocked by active fighting since mid-April. WFP has 1,500MT of food ready to transport once river routes are operational again.
"Where we have been able to consistently deliver, we've seen real progress," McGroarty said. "In the first half of this year, we pushed back catastrophic hunger in areas of Jonglei State through regular deliveries of food assistance, and we can do the same in Upper Nile. But if we can't get the food to people, hunger will deepen and famine is a real and present threat."
A global funding slowdown is worsening the already dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan. Nationwide, 7.7 million people - 57 percent of the population - are facing crisis, emergency, or catastrophic levels of hunger. An unprecedented 2.3 million children are at risk of malnutrition.
Due to funding gaps, WFP has prioritized assistance with reduced rations for only the most vulnerable 2.5 million people--just 30 percent of those in acute need - to stretch limited resources. WFP urgently needs US$274 million to continue life-saving operations through December.
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