About 5m people to face severe food shortage South Sudan

The government has cancelled celebrations for its fifth anniversary of independence on July 9.

“We are very anxious to see that food insecurity is spreading beyond conflict areas as rising prices, impassable roads and dysfunctional markets are preventing many families. from accessing food”, said Serge Tissot, FAO’s acting representative in South Sudan.

The new group, led by veteran politician Ali Tamim Fartak, has fought with government troops in the remote Wau region in the past few days, leading to the reported deaths of about 39 civilians and four police, Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth told reporters. “We need to spend the little that we have on other issues”.

South Sudan became independent from Sudan, Africa’s biggest country then, on July 9, 2011, following an age-old bloody civil war with the country’s ethnically Arab north.

He explained that the money meant for this year’s independence celebration will instead be diverted for payment of salaries of some of the striking civil servants like university lecturers, judges and teachers. “All these activities are key objectives of WFP’s current country plan for Sudan that was launched a year ago”. However, many observers noted that there wasn’t much to celebrate.

South Sudan is struggling to keep its economy afloat following the fall in oil prices. There are reported to be about 313 miles of paved roads in the entire country. The World Bank has called South Sudan the “most oil-dependent country in the world”, with over 90 percent of government spending financed by oil revenues.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned the country of further deteriorating economic situation unless quick economic reform policies were adopted and political environment eased.

According to reports in the Paris-based Sudan Tribune, the country’s Central Bank has said that it has only enough foreign currency reserves to last a month. Riek Machar was sworn in as South Sudan’s first vice president, hours after his return to the capital Juba on Tuesday.

Clashes have continued to flare in South Sudan even though warring factions signed a peace deal in August a year ago to end the conflict that erupted in December 2013. But fighting continues between multiple militia forces, who now pay no heed to either Kiir or Machar.