Famine is something that we associate with the 19th century, a relic that we left behind as we moved towards an idyllic world without borders. And because we live in a time where there is less hunger than ever, famine has been pushed to the back of our social conscious. However, famine has not gone away completely, as seen in the world’s newest country. On February 20, the United Nations declared a state of famine in South Sudan saying that at least 100,000 people are on the brink of starvation and 4.9 million people are in risk (O’Grady). So as this massive crisis gets worse in South Sudan, many people are left asking, how did this happen?
One contributing factor to the famine is the Civil War in South Sudan. Since 2013 South Sudan has been embroiled in a civil war and ethnic fight between two separate tribes, the Dinkas and the Nuers. The Dinkas are represented by the current President and central government. The Nuers are represented by rebels and the Vice President, and the two sides have been locked in violent conflict. But recently the fighting has gotten so terrible that it is now harming citizens, with each side killing members of the other tribe indiscriminately. Because the citizens are constantly being raided and killed, people cannot produce food This has a negative effect on the country’s ability to produce and distribute food (The Star). Another problem that the civil war presents is that the Dinka central government is blocking foreign aid to the starving people (The Star). The government has resorted to siege tactics to try and win the civil war, but their blocking of food mostly hurts innocent bystanders trapped in a war zone. The government is indirectly starving its own citizens because it values military victory over human lives.
As well as the civil war, a large contributing factor to the famine in South Sudan is the lack of foreign response to the crisis. Even though the UN officially labeled the crisis a famine, that has little effect. As the conflict in South Sudan raged on and escalated, international powers sat idly by. The famine could be solved for less than 4.6 billion dollars, a small price for helping 4.9 million people. But only 2% of that funding is on its way (Watkins). Clearly, there has been very little targeted aid sent to help the starving people of South Sudan. Also, the President is unwilling to allow deployment of more international troops into South Sudan (Fortin). These soldiers would act as peacekeepers and stabilize the region, but instead, the violent fighting will continue to spiral out of control. And as the fighting continues the famine will worsen.
Because of the violent fighting and lack of strong international response, the famine in South Sudan will continue to worsen. The brutal conflict has created conditions where people cannot live in their villages and grow food anymore and aid is being blocked by the government. And because there is pitifully little international funding and intervention, the rest of the world only looks on as the crisis spirals out of control. With 4.9 million people at risk and experts saying that it will get more drastic when summer arrives, famine may consume the world’s youngest nation.
Works Cited
O'Grady, Siobhán. “South Sudan's Man-Made Famine.” Foreign Policy, 27 Feb. 2017, foreignpolicy.com/2017/02/27/south-sudans-man-made-famine/. Accessed 17 Mar. 2017.
Watkins, Kevin. “Famine Warning Signs Were Clear – so Why Are 20 Million Lives Now at Risk? | Kevin Watkins.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 7 Mar. 2017, www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/mar/07/famine-warning-signs-were-clear-so-why-are-20-million-lives-now-at-risk. Accessed 17 Mar. 2017.
Fortin, Jacey. “Is There Any Hope for Peace in South Sudan?” The New York Times, The New York Times, 22 July 2016, www.nytimes.com/2016/07/23/world/africa/south-sudan-kiir-machar-peace-civil-war.html?_r=0. Accessed 17 Mar. 2017.
The Star. “How South Sudan's Warlords Triggered Extreme Hunger in Land of Plenty.” The Star, Kenya, The Star, 2 Mar. 2017, www.the-star.co.ke/news/2017/03/02/how-south-sudans-warlords-triggered-extreme-hunger-in-land-of-plenty_c1517026. Accessed 17 Mar. 2017.
Hersher, Rebecca. “In South Sudan, People Are Dying Of Hunger As Civil War Continues.”NPR, NPR, 21 Feb. 2017, www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/21/516410076/in-south-sudan-people-are-dying-of-hunger-as-civil-war-continues. Accessed 17 Mar. 2017.
Jazeera, Al. “South Sudan Famine: Eating Water Lilies to Survive.” South Sudan News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 28 Feb. 2017, www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/south-sudan-famine-eating-water-lilies-survive-170228050621672.html. Accessed 16 Mar. 2017.
