South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Awan Achiek
International charity Oxfam said on Monday that about 12 people died of starvation early this month in Greater Pibor Administrative.
Dr. Manenji Mangundu, Country Director of Oxam in South Sudan said in a statement issued in Juba that the number of people dying from starvation is on the rise in Pibor County.
“The scenes of suffering are heart-wrenching. Thousands of people both young and old are hungry and children severely malnourished. Many people are going for days without anything to eat. Just this month alone (July), more than 12 people died from starvation,” Mangundu said.
Mangundu said civilians have been forced to survive on wild vegetables, and desert dates.
He noted that the prevailing economic hardship and climate change effects such as floods and drought have contributed to high levels of hunger.
Mangundu warned that the situation could exacerbate with the ongoing torrential rains, as they would halt rapid humanitarian response to the affected population.
He disclosed that over 70 percent of the population in the country, including Pibor region has been affected by floods for the past 6 consecutive years.
Mangundu said this is also has been compounded by the ongoing conflict in neighboring Sudan, which is fueling hunger levels in the majority of communities within South Sudan.
He disclosed that Oxfam is currently in need of $15 million to scale up its operations and save lives of vulnerable children and women affected by the conflict, floods and diseases.
“Failing to respond when people are starving is a moral failing that must not continue. Without urgent assistance now we risk many more lives. Humanitarian assistance delayed is aid denied, donors must act now,” Mangundu said.
Adau Nyok, a resident of Juba decried the recent increase in the prices of food such as wheat, sorghum, oil, and flour amid the depreciation of the value of the South Sudan Pounds against the U.S. dollar.
“Three months ago, I used to buy 10kg of flour for 3500 SSP ($2). Now it costs me 15,000 SSP ($9.3 USD). Unfortunately, the prices keep rising and we can no longer afford it due to lack of access to cash,” Nyok said.
Rebecca Korok Nyarek , who lost her young nephew due to starvation in Pibor, said people there are suffering due to shortage of food.
“I lost my nephew because of hunger. He was just 15 years old. There is no food at home. People are starving, and when you go out to the bushes in search of food, sometimes you will get something small to eat, even wild fruits are no longer available because of the rains and that’s how we sleep at night,’’ Korok said.
More than half the population – over 7 million people – are already facing extreme hunger, including nearly 79,000 people facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity, which is more than double that of last year.
Moreover, these drivers have together forced the plummeting of the South Sudanese currency and triggered the highest real food inflation since independence (164%) according to the World Bank, making it harder for people to access food.
The prices of staple foods such as wheat, sorghum, oil, and flour have all increased, with some more than tripled since March this year.
