By William Garang
On World Food Day, the U.S. Embassy in South Sudan urged the country’s leaders to take immediate action to address food insecurity, highlighting that many of the root causes are within their control.
“While climate shocks have contributed to the humanitarian crisis, many of the causes of food insecurity are in the hands of the South Sudanese leaders to address. These include conflict, economic volatility, and corruption,” partly reads the statement.
“We call on the transitional government to act with urgency to respond to the needs of the South Sudanese people, by addressing the causes of humanitarian crisis in their country,” it added.
The U.S. Embassy also called for the transparent use of public revenue to support food security. As in prior years-as many as 9 million people in South Sudan are experiencing acute food insecurity, noted the U.S. Embassy.
“This is both tragic and unnecessary, as South Sudan has plentiful fertile and arable land,” the U.S. lamented.
Over the past year, the United States has provided over $600 million in humanitarian aid to support the people of South Sudan.
In September 2024, an additional $100 million was announced to deliver 42,000 metric tons of food, aiming to assist approximately 1 million people facing severe food insecurity in the country.