Government should work with partners to air lift food assistance to Pibor

The heavy rains have cuts off roads linking the rest of the country to Greater Pibor Administrative Area (GPAA), where thousands people are starving due to failure of the rains.

An estimated 365,342 people across the six counties of Pibor, Gumuruk, Lekuangole, Vertet, Jebel Boma and Pochalla are reliant on humanitarian food assistance.

Oleyo Akuer, the Minister of Information and Communication in GPAA, said that markets have run out of food supplies due to the poor road network.

The situation warrants for airlifting urgent food assistance to the hunger stricken people of GPAA. Already 30 people have died due to starvation in two months in GPAA.

The government needs to declare state of emergency in GPAA, and seek support from humanitarian partners and the international community.

In this age where governments are discussing technology advancements such Artificial Intelligence, here in South Sudan people are dying of starvation.

Access to food, water and hygiene is a right recognized globally and governments are charged with the responsibility of ensuring their citizens access all these basic needs and  services.