Hey friends, 🌍 it looks like South Sudan is facing some tough times ahead. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) just sounded the alarm on Thursday, saying that a perfect storm of violence, floods, an economic crisis, and hunger is hitting the country hard. 😢
In Jonglei State alone, a staggering 79,000 people are facing catastrophic food insecurity—yikes! That's almost double compared to last year. The OCHA says that overall, more than 7 million people in South Sudan are struggling to find enough to eat, which is a whopping 20% increase from mid-2023. 🥺🍚
What's causing this? Well, underfunding of humanitarian efforts isn't helping, and the arrival of people fleeing conflict in neighboring Sudan is adding extra pressure. The OCHA noted that new arrivals are contributing to the crisis, making things even more challenging. 🙏
To make matters worse, South Sudan is bracing for its worst floods in 60 years starting this September. 🌊 The humanitarian community is gearing up to provide life-saving assistance to 2.4 million of the 3.3 million people expected to be affected by the floods in the northern, northeastern, and central parts of the country.
But here's the kicker: The OCHA says they need $264 million to tackle this crisis, but funding is falling short. Six months into 2024, they've received less than 20% of the required $1.8 billion for this year's broader response efforts—that's just over $353 million. 💔
It's a tough situation, and the people of South Sudan need all the support they can get. Let's hope the global community steps up to help those in need. 🌟
Reference(s):
UN: Thousands in South Sudan facing high level of food insecurity
cgtn.com
