Government weighs in as three-quarters of South Sudan lacks food

Michael Makuei Lueth, the Minister of Information

By Simon Deng

South Sudan’s unending hunger has been aggravated by a devastating flood that has washed away farms and killed livestock while displacing hundreds of thousands of people whose livelihoods have been completely eroded.

About eight States were hit hard by undulating floods that has been raging for the last three years.

The government has expressed commitment to address the situation and continues to bank on $10 million relief package approved last year.

“We are quite aware about the issue of hunger. South Sudan was hit last year by very serious disaster, that disaster actually destroyed all the crops and three quarters of the nation are actually under threat of hunger and efforts are under way to address that situation before it comes,” Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth told reporters in the capital Juba on Friday.

“For 10 million dollars approved in September last year for the flood-affected victims, it has been partially released and the Ministry of Finance is now in the process of completing the payment of this amount, so it is in process,” Lueth said.

According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the worst affected populations, by floods, are in Jonglei, Unity, Warrap, Greater Pibor Administrative Area, Lakes, Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal and Upper Nile state.

It estimates that 400,000 people have been affected and displaced.