UNITED NATIONS, Feb.26,2020 -- About 6.5 million people in South Sudan - that's more than half of the country's population - could be in acute food insecurity at the height of this hunger season, a UN spokesperson said Thursday.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), the hunger season is traditionally May to July, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
He added that the three agencies warned the situation is particularly worrying in the hardest hit areas by the 2019 floods, where food security has deteriorated significantly since last June.
Hunger is projected to progressively worsen between now and July, with over 1.7 million people facing an emergency level of food insecurity due to the impacts of devastating floods and low level of food production, Dujarric said.
Noting that the three agencies are helping to deliver emergency livelihood support, the spokesman said FAO will distribute seeds, farming tools, fishing and vegetable kits, and provide cash assistance to people most in need; UNICEF is focusing on treating malnourished children and intensifying prevention efforts; and WFP will assist some 5 million people, providing life-saving food to the most vulnerable.
|