Record numbers in South Sudan face starvation

At least 83,000 people in South Sudan are teetering on the edge of famine, with an estimated 7.7 million — nearly half the population — expected to experience severe food insecurity this year, Radio Tamazuj reported on June 12. The outlet, which provides independent coverage of Sudan and South Sudan, cited new warnings from key international agencies.

The World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have sounded the alarm, highlighting a rapidly deteriorating situation in conflict-hit regions. In Upper Nile state, residents in 11 out of 13 counties are now facing emergency levels of hunger, according to assessments.

The benchmark for declaring famine is set by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), a globally recognised framework for monitoring food crises. A famine classification requires that “20% of households face extreme food shortages; at least 30% of children suffer acute malnutrition; and two adults or four children per 10,000 people die daily from hunger-related causes.”

Radio Tamazuj/ Maghrebi.org