The full extent of the conflict-driven food security crisis in South Sudan has yet to unfold, warns Sue Lautze, head of FAO operations in the troubled African nation.
Recent conflicts have destroyed food stocks, disrupted food production activities, and left markets in ruins - and have driven some 300,000 people to flee to neighboring Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and Sudan, where they are dependent on food relief for their survival.
"The situation is fraught with multiple heartbreaks," says Lautze. "It's been a multi-pronged attack on food security."
Currently, some 3.5 million people in South Sudan are now experiencing crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity as defined by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the global standard for measuring food security conditions. FAO has been working in very challenging conditions in South Sudan caused both by conflict and seasonal flooding to provide the worst affected communities with means to produce food by distributing fishing, animal health, vegetable and crop emergency livelihood kits.
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