Up to six million people in South Sudan face extreme hunger a report by the UN says, that's an increase of 40 percent since 2017. The report warns that famine could return to the country in the throes of civil war.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Gonzales Farran
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According to the UN report 150,000 people in the states of Jonglei, Upper Nile, Unity and Western Bahrel Ghazal could be hit by famine this year. Food insecurity is at an "unprecedented level," Ross Smith from U.N's World Food Program (WPF), told The Associated Press news agency.
South Sudan won independence from Sudan in 2011 but descended into civil war about two years later. The conflict was triggered by the dismissal of Vice-president Riek Machar by President Salva Kiir. Tens of thousands of people have died and about a third of the population has fled their homes. Of that number, more than two million have left the country. Recently, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Office (OCHA) said it was expecting about 200,000 more refuges in 2018, which would place further pressure on food distribution.
Access to the needy population is still difficult in South SudanImage: Welthungerhilfe/Sebastian Hecker
War crimes and crimes against humanity
A year ago South Sudan declared famine in two counties where 100,000 people faced starvation. A rapid aid response by the international community prevented the worst and the declaration was lifted in June. While welcome, humanitarian aid is also seen with skepticism by the South Sudanese government. The minister of humanitarian affairs and disaster management Hussein Mar Nyot warned that a country that relied on aid "will develop a dependency syndrome," which would eventually cripple the nation.
Observers are more afraid that the situation will deteriorate if no political solution to the ongoing armed conflict is found. Fighting has prevented farmers from raising crops, further exacerbating the crisis. While Kiir's government last year allowed unrestricted access for aid groups, the situation has not improved. The upcoming dry season presents a new threat. Alice Luedke, a researcher for the rights organization Amnesty International, said human rights violations were ongoing "including blocking of civilian access to food by both the government and opposition forces."
Only the end of the civil war will make food stability possible, observers sayImage: Reuters/G. Tomasevic
Another report by the UN on human rights abuses in South Sudan, identified more than 40 senior military officials, including three state governors, "who may bear individual responsibility for war crimes and crimes against humanity."
If the situation persists, aid workers warn, food aid will nor be enough to prevent severe hunger in more than 30 counties by May. Large-scale assistance would then be required. But so far the UN has received less than four percent of the funding earmarked for the South Sudan action plan in 2018. A gap of $1.7 billion (€1.3) has yet to be plugged.
South Sudan: children of the war zone
In South Sudan, internally displaced persons are given sanctuary in UN Protection of Civilians (POC) sites. These refugees include unaccompanied children. Nonviolent Peaceforce is one organization trying to help them.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Displaced persons, missing parents
More than 30,000 people live in the Protection of Civilians (PoC) site in Juba, capital of South Sudan. Around 7,000 are children who have lost contact with their parents. The NGO Nonviolent Peaceforce is trying to reunite them.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Family tracing and reunification
The first step is to establish a child's identity and then to collect as much information as possible which could assist in locating the parents. This data is placed online and can be accessed by all international organizations working in child protection in South Sudan. If the search for the family proves fruitless, or if the child has been orphaned, foster parents are found.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
All-female peacekeepers
In South Sudan, Nonviolent Peaceforce focuses on the protection of women and children, who rarely participate in armed conflict, but are disproportionately affected by it. To this end, Nonviolent Peaceforce is forming all-female Women's Peacekeeping Teams, specially trained in tackling sexual and gender-based violence.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Women's Peacekeeping Teams
As well as training, the Women's Peacekeeping Teams are also given follow-up support as they seek to prevent sexual and gender-based violence. The teams liaise with women in the communities, helping them to identify risks and counter them. The teams are also in contact with authorities so that culprits can be held accountable for their actions.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Ulang in Upper Nile State
The civil war began as a political dispute, but it has reopened ethnic fault lines between the Dinka people of President Salva Kiir and the Nuer of rebel leader Riek Machar . Ulang in Upper Nile State is dominated by the Nuer. It was attacked by government in troops in May 2015 and dozens were killed. The once tranquil region found itself caught up in conflict.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Child protection projects in Ulang
Nonviolent Peaceforce runs a child protection project in Ulang, one of six in South Sudan. These projects vary in accordance with local needs. In Ulang, community volunteers ensure that the children have access to recreation and sports.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Soccer on a former battleground
At Ulang's Kopuot Primary School, children are playing a game of soccer as part of a child protection project. The building in the background is pockmarked with bullet holes, an ever-present reminder that the school was a target for government troops during their May offensive.
Image: DW / F. Abreu
Back to school
All teaching materials and other supplies at the school were destroyed in the government offensive. But now, in makeshift classrooms, the struggle to acquire an education goes on. Author: Fellipe Abtreu
