Officials say two-thirds of South Sudan faces acute hunger

South Sudan is sliding deeper into a hunger emergency, with nearly two-thirds of the population — about 7.9 million people — facing acute food insecurity as fighting flares again between government and opposition forces.

The heaviest violence has gripped Jonglei State, where troops loyal to President Salva Kiir have been fighting militias aligned with his longtime rival, Riek Machar, since December.

The renewed clashes have uprooted hundreds of thousands of people in a nation already ranked among the poorest and most corrupt in the world.

“An estimated 7.9 million people will face high levels of acute food insecurity… Additional resources are urgently required,” acting agriculture minister Lily Albino Akol told a press conference held to present the latest food security report prepared by the government, the United Nations and NGOs.

Despite billions of dollars in oil income and foreign aid, the crisis has continued to deepen, US embassy senior assistance coordinator Charles Vetter said.

“The transitional government continues to wage conflict throughout this country that is displacing people (and) continues to refuse to invest national resources in delivering public services,” Mr Vetter said.

“The continued obstruction, interference, theft and denial of access is limiting the effectiveness of anybody trying to help,” he added.

The findings amounted to “a warning and a roadmap”, UN acting Humanitarian and Resident Coordinator Noala Skinner said.

“We must save lives now,” she said, urging the government to make urgent investments in agriculture, livelihoods and resilience.

South Sudan won independence in 2011, but quickly fell into civil war and has remained trapped in extreme poverty and insecurity.