South Sudan vice-president in Italy to galvanize support as humanitarian crisis escalates

JUBA – South Sudan’s Vice President for Youth and Gender Cluster Rebecca Nyandeng De Mabior has left the country heading to the Italian capital Rome where she will take part in a World Food Programme (WFP) conference being held there.

According to aides, the senior government official is expected to make presentation over the escalating humanitarian crisis caused by insecurity, devastating flooding and corruption in the world’s youngest country and is expected as well to ask for international support.

“She will make a presentation to the Board of the World Food Programme about the humanitarian crisis facing the country, and the country’s dire need of humanitarian assistance,” David Dau, the Executive Director in the Office of the Vice President.

Earlier this year, Adeyinka Badejo, Acting Country Director of the World Food Programme, said at least 7.7 million people in South Sudan faces severe hunger in the coming months year and that 1.4 million children faces acute malnutrition.

“They need immediate humanitarian assistance to put food on the table in the short-term and to rebuild their livelihoods and resilience to cope with future shocks. Humanitarian needs are far exceeding the funding we have received this year,” she said at the time.

“If this continues, we will face bigger and more costly problems in the future, including increased mortality, malnutrition, stunting, and disease,” she added.

She warned that about 7.7 million people will face severe hunger in the next three months and 1.4 million children will be malnourished.

“These latest reductions to assistance will also impact 178,000 schoolchildren who will no longer receive daily school meals – a crucial safety net that helps keep South Sudanese children in school to learn and grow.”