By Tereza Jeremiah Chuei
World Food Programme (WFP) situational reports indicates that South Sudan is facing a multiregional crisis combining security, social, economic and political challenges.
The reports added that other things being faced by people, adding that climate shocks, population displacement and loss of livelihoods remain the main drivers of food insecurity.
It further highlighted that insecurity also escalated in the Greater Upper Nile and Greater Bhar el Ghazal regions as subnational violence persisted, fueling political uncertainty and flare-ups of communal violence and tensions.
However, the reports also mentioned that Humanitarian situation remained dire as conflict, insecurity and extreme weather events such as floods disrupted livelihoods across different areas in the country.
WFP also stated that since August 2022, torrential rains and severe flash floods have swept across the country, affecting more than 1 million people across 36 counties with people in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, Unity and Western Equatoria States.
The Latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) projects that an estimated 7.76 million will face severe acute food insecurity at the crisis level (IPC Phase 3) or higher.
While, during the April-July 2023 lean season of the 7.76 million 2.9 million people will face emergency (IPC 4) Acute food insecurity, 43,000 people will be in catastrophe (IPC 5).
On the same note, acute food insecurity in Akobo, Canal/Pigi and Fangak counties of Jonglei State, and Leer and Mayendit counties of Unity State, the rest, 4.8 million people, will face crisis (IPC 3) conditions.
Further, 1.4 million children will be moderately or severely malnourished in 2023, marking the highest level yet observed and surpassing the levels seen during the conflict in 2013 and 2016.
Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis in February 2022, the South Sudanese pound (SSP) has depreciated by 28 percent.
However, the average exchange rate remained stable in October, exchanging at SSP 613 and SSP 620 per US dollar in the official and parallel market, respectively.
In the other WFP-monitored markets, the average exchange rate ranged from SSP 610 to 630 per US dollar.