South Sudan: Data is the difference between life and death

Approximately 25 percent of the population of South Sudan—2.8 million people—are experiencing an acute hunger crisis. More than half of the people in crisis are in conflict zones where humanitarian agencies cannot reach them.

In Unity State, the emergency is most severe. Communities ravaged by war have fled their homes, living in swamps with no supplies of food or safe water, unable to meet their basic survival needs. According to warnings released in early February by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification in South Sudan (IPC), an estimated 40,000 people are now facing “catastrophe”.

What does that mean, exactly? According to the IPC Emergency Review Committee, it means that there is “a potential risk of famine” in Unity State. However, because of intense, ongoing fighting, humanitarian agencies cannot get access to deliver food and water to populations in need. The United Nations and humanitarian partners agree that the situation in Unity is grave—and likely to get worse. But we cannot gather accurate evidence of the risk of famine, or deliver help, without full humanitarian access to areas affected by conflict.

Read more in:  Data is the difference between life and death (Action Against Hunger USA)