US announces $95m aid package to South Sudan

JUBA – The United State Department of State announced on Thursday that is contributing $95 million to the UN World Food Programme (WFP) to support the people of South Sudan in the face of conflict and floods.

The contribution will be used to assist 7.24 million people likely to face acute hunger this summer.

Ambassador Larry André Jr. told reporters in the capital Juba that the funding will provide critical protection, economic opportunity, shelter, healthcare, emergency food assistance, safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services to some of the nearly 4 million South Sudanese refugees and internally displaced people in South Sudan.

“It also supports refugees and host communities in Uganda, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the Democratic Republic of Congo,” he said.

“South Sudan is facing the highest levels of food insecurity and malnutrition since its independence in 2011. The upcoming May to July lean season is expected to be the most severe on record and has potential to leave more than 7 million people hungry.”

Mathew Hollingworth, the country director of WFP in South Sudan, said: “This funding from our biggest donor, US Agency for International Development (USAID), comes at a very critical time when funding is scarce and needs are enormous.”

“The United Nations World Food Programme welcomed contributions totaling $345 million from the United States through USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance to support WFP food assistance in South Sudan, where rising food insecurity has pushed 60% of the population into hunger and poverty,” he added.

The latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification assessment this year warned that 7.24 million people will face severe acute hunger at the height of the lean season in July, while 1.4 million children will be acutely malnourished.

Unprecedented floods, the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of the poor, and increased conflicts over the last two years have taken a heavy toll on the world’s youngest country, founded 10 years ago this July.