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South Sudan

South Sudan Situation Report – 18 July 2017

Attachments

IN NUMBERS

6 million People severely food insecure (IPC June-July 2017)

45 000 People facing famine conditions

>3.8 million People displaced by conflict

$70 million Requested under FAO Emergency Livelihood Response Plan

HIGHLIGHTS

  • The main planting season is underway in South Sudan and it is critical that farmers are able to safely access their fields for planting, weeding and harvesting. In 2016, despite the worsening security situation, South Sudan’s smallholder farmers produced over 825 000 tonnes of cereals, demonstrating that food production remains possible for millions.

  • FAO has received USD 35.5 million of the USD 70 million requested for the Emergency Livelihood Response Programme, including all hard commitments supporting the livelihood campaign, livestock campaign and coordination.

  • Livelihood support is lifesaving. A single crop kit provided by FAO costs about USD 90* per family and can provide enough staple cereals for a full year for that family; a single fishing kit costs about USD 70* per family and provides around 3 000 kg of fresh fish every six months; while a single vegetable kit costs about USD 65* per family and provides about 1 tonne of fresh food.

*Estimates including procurement, delivery, distribution and logistics expenses

BACKGROUND

A concerted and massive humanitarian response is containing famine in Unity State, with the number of people in famine conditions in the county down from a projected 90 000 to 25 000. However, hunger continues to spread across the country with 6 million people now severely food insecure. Of these, 1.7 million people – increased from 1 million in February – are at risk of famine (IPC Phase 4). In addition, 20 000 people in Ayod County of Greater Jonglei, where food security is deteriorating rapidly, are facing famine conditions. Armed conflict, a continued economic crisis and below-average 2016 harvests, which were exhausted well before the ongoing lean season, are the main drivers of the worsening food security. In Greater Equatoria, and particularly some of South Sudan’s most productive areas, fighting has severely disrupted agricultural activities and markets, forcing huge numbers of the population to flee to Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and causing many to miss the 2017 main planting season.

Acute malnutrition remains a major emergency in many parts of the country, driven by conflict, displacement, poor access to services, disease outbreaks, extremely poor diet (quality and quantity) and low coverage of sanitation facilities.