Kampala, Uganda — Famine has been declared in two counties of South Sudan, the result of prolonged civil war and an entrenched economic crisis that has devastated the war-torn East African nation.
South Sudan's government and three UN agencies say that more than 100,000 people in two counties of Unity state are experiencing famine and there are fears that the famine will spread as an additional 1 million South Sudanese are on the brink of starvation.
Women carry sacks of food in Nimini village, Unity State, northern South Sudan. File photo: Reuters
The official classification of famine highlights the human suffering caused by South Sudan's three-year civil war. Even as it is declared U.N. officials say that President Salva Kiir's government is blocking food aid to some areas.