UN says violence escalates food insecurity to stable regions in S. Sudan

Increased violence in South Sudan is affecting food security in some of the more stable areas, Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) David Shearer said Thursday.

"Dwindling provisions arriving in the town and skyrocketing food prices have meant that places like Aweil, which are generally peaceful, have suffered the effects of the conflict taking part in other parts of the country," Shearer said in a statement.

The World Food Programme (WFP) in October last year estimated that about 840,000 people were severely food insecure in the northern Bahr el Ghazal region where the newly created Aweil state lies.

"It is imperative that fighting stops, so the citizens of the world's newest nation can live in peace and enjoy the benefits of independence," Shearer said.

He added that insecurity has directly affected the cost of goods in greater Aweil, hence forcing many families to migrate to neighboring Sudan because they could either not produce crops or could not afford the high price of staple foods in the market.

"Those agencies have stepped in to provide emergency humanitarian aid in a region where the UN Food and Agriculture Agency (FAO) says 52 percent of people are food insecure," said Shearer said.

The UN in late February declared famine in some parts of the country with 100,000 people starving, and 1 million on the brink of starvation and a further 5.5 million in dire need of food assistance caused by more than three years of fighting since December 2013.

"I fear for the immediate future of the people here (Aweil) particularly their ability to cope during the imminent rainy season while their crops are growing," Shearer said.

"However, I am optimistic that building a good relationship between the local authorities, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations, will enable us to tackle the food security challenge," he said further. Endit