Food shortage in South Sudan

It's the 21st century, and one would imagine that the hunger problems that past generations battled with should by now be a thing of the past. Unfortunately, this isn't so at least not in some regions of the world! Food availability is still a common cause of concern even for an under 5 child. Extreme poverty, war and famine are few of the causes of this nagging problem. We may be able to delay finding lasting solutions to some public health challenges, however food scarcity which may lead to starvation, severe malnutrition and eventually death can not be ignored, neither can it be over emphasized. War, as we all know is an enemy of health. Which has been defined by the WHO as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. An hungry man cannot be said to be an healthy man! Three and a half years after gaining independence, The Republic of South Sudan is still faced with issues that are culminating in continued food shortage. Insecurity due to continued conflicts, especially in the war torn border states like South Kordofan and Blue Nile of Sudan and Abyei of South Sudan have led to the internal displacement of thousands of people. This has had a major impact on food production owing to the fact that majority of the people are poor subsistence farmers. Livestock rearing is also affected as many have had to flee their homesteads. Returnees from the north have also caused an increase in the number of people relying on the meager resources available for food production. Erratic rainfall ( too little or too much) is also a contributor. Flooding in Warrap state led to reduced food production, due to the destruction of homes,crops and livestock and the displacement of people who were left homeless and furthermore stripped of all their land and belongings by the disaster. Low rainfall in some regions too is not helping matters. In the past, most of the food was brought in from North. Conflict has however made these channels to be closed thereby reducing food availability. Food prices have skyrocketed, making it beyond the reach of the common man. Displaced people groups also keep moving from place to place looking for something to eat. Efforts of well meaning relief groups have been hampered by continued conflicts and government placed bans and restricted access into areas of conflict. UNICEF has warned that the food shortage will worsen if a cease fire agreement is not reached and honored by the belligerent parties. Currently over 200000 children are faced with severe malnutrition. We appeal to the government of South Sudan to consider the plight of her people and put measures in place to ease their suffering. Going forward, we hope that relief efforts by humanitarian organizations will be allowed to reach the suffering people of South Sudan.