South Sudan Is Struggling With Worst-Ever Food Crises, Is The World Listening?
The world might be in one of the worst-ever crises it has ever witnessed. Across the globe, there are people killing innocent souls by the hundreds, and the Ebola virus is threatening to sicken the world. But amidst the global chaos, the world seems to have forgotten about Sudan, a country in a state of perpetual regional violence and facing acute food shortage. Now the people of South Sudan have resorted to eating water lilies for survival.
When BBC News reporter Emmanuel Igunza visited a South Sudanese village, he discovered first-hand the horrors of famine, draught, government apathy, and regional armed conflicts. Emmanuel went to Reke village, a settlement of about 3,000 people displaced by fighting between government and rebel forces in the oil-rich Unity state. You can reach this village only if you have a four-wheel drive.
The village, facing starvation, has discovered bare minimal nutrition in seeds of water lilies that grow in shallow ponds. Women here painstakingly collect the lilies seeds and grind them before cooking and eating them, without any spice or condiment, for basic nourishment.
Why is South Sudan lying in neglect? Most of the villagers, or rather settlers, belong to the Nuer ethnic group, to which rebel leader Riek Machar belongs. Current president Salva Kiir, who comes from the rival Dinka group, accused him of plotting a coup in December. Mr. Machar vehemently denied the allegation, but then swiftly marshaled a rebel force to fight Mr. Kiir.
Ever since, the two groups have been embroiled in a regional war, and there has been lot of bloodshed from both sides. As a direct result of the conflict, more than 1.5 million people have been displaced. To add to the woes, the UN has strongly indicated that South Sudan is on the verge of a long-winded famine.
Since the roads have been washed-away, food is hard to come by. People now primarily depend on food aid from the World Food Program (WFP). However, they lament that food deliveries are rather rare, and there’s big inconsistency in the schedule.
“WFP has been really helping out people here in Reke, but that is maybe only once every two months. See how hungry people are here. They are facing starvation.”
A single missed planting season, owing to the famine, meant over four million people had to face starvation. As the region fights off hunger with water lilies, they are completely unarmed and vulnerable to the regional violence.
[Image Credit | WFP / NORAD, Kieran Doherty / Oxfam, AFP]
