UN agencies say a violence-hit part of South Sudan is on the brink of famine

JUBA, South Sudan (AP) - Three United Nations agencies warned on Thursday of looming famine in a conflict-stricken part of South Sudan.

People in 11 of 13 counties in South Sudan's Upper Nile state now face emergency levels of hunger, the World Food Program, the U.N. Children's Fund and the Food and Agriculture Organization said in a joint statement.

Upper Nile is the scene of fighting between government troops and armed militias that oppose the government of President Salva Kiir. The fighting has escalated in recent months, "destroying homes, disrupting livelihoods and impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid," the statement said.

Some 32,000 people are in hunger conditions categorized as "catastrophic," more than three times the previous projection, it said.

Although some other parts of South Sudan are seeing improvements in food security, some 57% of the east African country’s 11.5 million people face acute food insecurity.

Famine was declared in parts of South Sudan in 2017.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international system to designate hunger crises, considers an area to be in famine when three things occur: 20% of households have an extreme lack of food, or essentially are starving; at least 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, meaning they're too thin for their height; and two adults or four children per every 10,000 people are dying daily of hunger and its complications.

The IPC unites experts from more than 20 organizations, including U.N. agencies, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, the European Union, and the World Bank.

Nasir, one of the counties facing a famine warning, is a stronghold for anti-government militias and the scene of fighting that has left mounting civilian casualties.

"Once again, we are seeing the devastating impact conflict has on food security in South Sudan," Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the World Food Program representative in South Sudan, said in the statement by the U.N. agencies. "Conflict doesn't just destroy homes and livelihoods, it tears communities apart, cuts off access to markets and sends food prices spiraling upward. Long-term peace is essential, but right now, it is critical our teams are able to access and safely distribute food to families caught in conflict in Upper Nile, to bring them back from the brink and prevent famine."

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Muhumuza contributed from Kampala, Uganda.