Failure of South Sudan Peace Talks Raises Risk of Famine

In South Sudan, more than 1.3 million people are displaced, and half of them are children. The situation is getting worse every day. The fighting that has forced people to flee their homes means they have not been able to plant crops ahead of the rainy season. By the end of this year, it is feared that almost ¼ of children under five will be severely malnourished. International bodies have warned that there is a high risk of famine.

Perry Mansfield, director of World Vision’s programs in South Sudan said when the peace talks in Addis Ababa broke down on Monday:

‘World Vision is extremely disappointed to see the peace talks postponed. It’s a big setback for aid organizations like ours trying to overcome violence to access those in need.  Each day peace is delayed is another step closer to a quarter of a million children being at risk of severe malnutrition.

Every delay means higher risk of famine, higher risk of children being used as child soldiers, and a higher price tag to deal with this disaster.

Peace is essential for aid agencies like World Vision so that we can increase the tempo and scale of our response to the looming food crisis – a response that is becoming even more difficult as the rainy season leaves us fewer options to get food to those in need.

Peace is also desperately needed so that farmers can return to their fields to produce food and children can go back to school. Peace is what organizations like ours and the people of South Sudan truly yearn for.”

World Vision is continuing to assist the millions of internally displaced people with food assistance through food partnership with WFP. We are also establishing a Blanket Supplementary Feeding Program to assist vulnerable children aged 6-59 months in Malakal and other response areas with repeated food distributions.

Without urgent action, the situation of South Sudan will continue to deteriorate. Access constraints and insecurity have made our efforts to deliver aid supplies more difficult. World Vision calls on the international donor community to ensure full humanitarian access for the provision of essential services to children and their families in all areas. It is crucial to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, and we urge the international community to give all possible support to efforts to promote a sustainable negotiated settlement.