South Sudan Famine Worsening as Civil War Wears On
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Carrie Dedrick Religious persecution, missions, Christianity around the world - Updated Aug 06, 2014
An ongoing civil war in South Sudan has caused a severe famine in the region reports Christian News Journal. The shortage of food is affecting 3.9 million people; the U.N. Security Council is calling the famine the “worst in the world.”
The combination of political unrest, farmers forced to abandon crops and drought has brought about a “perfect storm” of circumstances for famine said Baptist Global Response (BGR) director Mark Hatfield.
“Hunger due to cyclical drought is a growing problem all across Africa, especially in the Sahel. When there is political unrest, the situation is exacerbated due to the lack of ability to get into the fields to cultivate crops and manage herds. This all collides in places like South Sudan, where you have large groups of people living in situations where they have no surplus food stored or financial savings available to mitigate for crop and herd failures,” Hatfield said.
UNICEF and World Food Programme (WFP) fear that one million children will need medical treatment for malnutrition by the end of 2014. 50,000 children are at risk of death.
Hatfield hopes that Christians will unite behind their brothers and sisters in South Sudan in this time of crisis.
“...in times of disaster, when local resources are just not available, we have to step up and share the abundance that God has given us by supporting local churches and organizations that are providing food for the hungry,” he said.
For ways you can help, see the following websites:
Publication date: August 6, 2014
