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	Conflict-driven hunger is getting worse by WFP, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)   Aug. 2019   Conflict-driven hunger is getting worse, according to a snapshot of the eight places in the world with the highest number of people in need of emergency food support, and the link between them is 'all too persistent and deadly' according to a new report delivered to the UN Security Council.   The new report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) follows on from a landmark Council resolution on preventing hunger in conflict zones, adopted in May.   The situation in Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan and Yemen worsened in the latter part of 2018 largely because of conflict, although Somalia, Syria and the Lake Chad Basin, saw some improvements in line with improved security. In total, at least 56 million people are in need of urgent food and livelihood assistance across the eight theatres of war.   "This report clearly demonstrates the impact of armed violence on the lives and livelihoods of millions of men, women, boys and girls caught up in conflict," wrote FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva states in the report's foreword.   "I would strongly encourage you to keep in mind that behind these seemingly dry statistics are real people experiencing rates of hunger that are simply unacceptable in the 21st century," he continued.   Violence against humanitarian workers is also on the rise, sometimes forcing organizations to suspend their life-saving operations, leaving those at risk, even more vulnerable. Every single country covered in the report, saw attacks carried out on aid workers and facilities last year.   "This report shows again the tragic link between conflict and hunger and how it still pervades far too much of the world. We need better and quicker access in all conflict zones, so we can get to more of the civilians who need our help. But what the world needs most of all is an end to the wars," wrote WFP chief David Beasley.   The Security Council's Resolution 2417 condemns unequivocally, starvation as a tool of war. It calls on all parties to armed conflict to comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law to minimize the impact of military actions on civilians, including on food production and distribution, and to allow humanitarian access in a safe and timely manner to civilians needing lifesaving food, nutritional and medical assistance.   "The millions of men, women and children going hungry as a result of armed conflict will not be reduced unless and until these fundamental principles are followed", states the joint UN agency report.   Here's the outlook for some of the countries in the spotlight:   * Yemen's three-year war is a stark demonstration of the urgent need for a cessation of hostilities to address the world's largest food security emergency. In its country analysis, the report states that conflicting parties disregarded the protected status of humanitarian facilities and personnel.   * The Democratic Republic of the Congo had the second highest number (13 million) of acutely food insecure people, driven by a rise in armed conflict, during the second half of 2018.   * In South Sudan, after more than five years of war, the lean season is expected to start earlier than normal, according to the report, pushing those in need of urgent support up to more than 5 million between January and March, 2019.   * In the Lake Chad basin including north-eastern Nigeria, Chad's Lac region and Niger's Diffa, where extremist groups are highly active, a major deterioration in food security is projected during this year's lean season beginning in June, and three million people are expected to face acute food insecurity.   * In Afghanistan, the percentage of rural Afghans facing acute food deficits is projected to reach 47 percent (or 10.6 million people) by March if urgent life-saving assistance is not provided.   * In the Central African Republic, armed conflict remained the main driver of hunger in 2018, with 1.9 million people experiencing a severe lack of food.   * Access the report: http://undocs.org/en/S/2019/699 http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/CA3113EN http://www.fao.org/emergencies/emergency-types/conflicts/en/ http://www.fsinplatform.org/global-report-food-crises-2019 http://www.fao.org/state-of-food-security-nutrition/2019/en/ Visit the related web page
	South Sudanese people long for peace as key deadline passes by NRC, ReliefWeb, OHCHR, agencies   June 2019   Record number of people facing critical lack of food in South Sudan. (WFP, Unicef, FAO)   The number of people facing a critical lack of food in South Sudan is the highest ever, three United Nations agencies warned today.   According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) update released today by the Government of South Sudan in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children''s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), an estimated 6.96 million South Sudanese will face acute levels of food insecurity or worse (IPC Phases 3, 4 and 5) by the end of July.   An estimated 21,000 people will likely face a catastrophic lack of food access (IPC Phase 5, the highest level in the five-step classification), while about 1.82 million will face Emergency (IPC Phase 4) and another 5.12 million people will face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) levels of food insecurity. Compared to last January's forecast for the period May - July 2019, 81,000 more people than originally projected are facing IPC Phase 3 or worse, particularly in the Jonglei, Lakes, Unity and Northern Bahr el Gazal states.   Delayed rains, high food prices reduce access to food   The ongoing lean season started early following record low stocks from the poor 2018 harvest and has been further extended by the delayed onset of 2019 seasonal rains. This, combined with persistent economic instability, the effects of previous years of conflict and related asset depletion and population displacements, have contributed to the disruption of livelihoods and has reduced people's ability to access food.   High food prices caused by last year's poor harvests, market disruptions due to insecurity, high transport costs and a depreciated currency are also contributing to the high levels of acute food insecurity.   The effective implementation of the peace agreement and political stability are imperative to allow urgent and scaled-up humanitarian assistance to protect livelihoods and boost agricultural production across the country to save lives.   http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/record-number-people-facing-critical-lack-food-south-sudan http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1152080/ http://www.icrc.org/en/document/south-sudan-one-year-after-peace-deal-violence-and-humanitarian-needs-havent-decreased   May 2019   South Sudanese people long for peace as key deadline passes. (NRC, ReliefWeb)   South Sudan's leaders must ensure a power-sharing government is in place within the new extended timeframe as millions of war-weary citizens cannot afford any more delays to the peace process, the Norwegian Refugee Council has warned.   'Another important deadline has passed, and a lasting peace is no closer to becoming a reality. At the same time, this extension is an opportunity for all parties to continue negotiating and to crucially move forward with the peace agreement's most contentious clauses. It is imperative that they engage in dialogue, make compromises, and deliver on the promises of peace', said Miklos Gosztonyi, Policy Advisor with the NRC.   A six-month extension was granted to give the parties more time for the formation of a transitional government of national unity after they failed to resolve issues by this weekend's May 12 deadline - the date initially agreed when the peace agreement was signed last September.   While the signing of the fragile peace deal eight months ago has seen a reduction in fighting among the signatories, violence continues in some areas. There has been inter-communal fighting, cattle raiding, and clashes involving groups that did not sign the peace agreement.   Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate with millions of people facing a growing food crisis as a result of the conflict.   'The food security situation continues to deteriorate mainly due to families fleeing conflict, low crop production, and humanitarian access challenges. Around 80 per cent of people in South Sudan are living below the absolute poverty line. Insecurity also stands in the way of the safe and dignified return for refugees who sought shelter in neighbouring countries, and for internally displaced persons', Gosztonyi said.   'Now that power-sharing arrangements have been agreed towards the formation of the unity government, the parties should engage with the clauses of the agreement and agree to address the root causes of the conflict. The people of South Sudan have been living on the edge for too long and cannot afford any more delays to the peace they were promised', he added.   # Around 6.4 million people are currently at risk of hunger according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)report into the escalating food crisis in South Sudan. Out of those, an estimated 1.6 million people are already facing extreme hunger. By July, a total of 6.8 million people, 60 per cent of the population, could face acute food insecurity.   Around 860,000 children are likely to be acutely malnourished, with conflict-driven displacement among the main reasons for mothers having reduced access to food, nutrition and health services.   An estimated 1.9 million people are currently displaced in South Sudan (OCHA) with 2.3 million people living as refugees in neighbouring countries like Ethiopia and Uganda (UNHCR).   http://reliefweb.int/report/south-sudan/south-sudanese-people-long-peace-key-deadline-passes http://www.nrc.no/news/2019/february/conflict-to-blame-for-extreme-hunger-in-south-sudan/ http://www.ipcinfo.org/ipc-country-analysis/details-map/en/c/1151975/?iso3=SSD   Dec. 2018   UN human rights experts say South Sudan leaders should seize the opportunity of the revitalized peace process to ensure accountability and help victims of the conflict rebuild their lives.   South Sudan's leaders must seize the unique opportunity the recent peace deal provides and work to stop the violence completely, ensure accountability, restore peace and assist the countless victims of this damaging conflict to rebuild their lives, says the Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan at the conclusion of the first leg of their official visit to the region.   'Everybody we spoke with during our visit expressed hope that the agreement will lead to durable and sustainable peace', commented Commission Chairperson Yasmin Sooka. 'Most South Sudanese are desperate to return to normal life and put the conflict behind them once and for all, yet they want to ensure that the conditions are right so they can live free of fear and want', she added.   The visit of the Human Rights Council-mandated Commission, their sixth to the region since the Commission was first established in March 2016, comes less than three months after the signing of the Revitalized Peace Agreement for Resolution of the Conflict in South Sudan in Addis Ababa on 12 September, and the subsequent peace celebrations held in Juba on 31 October.   The Commission, supported by a team of investigators and researchers based in Juba, is also gauging how this new phase could lead to return for the more than four million South Sudanese displaced by the four and a half year conflict and reparations for all its victims.   In accordance with their mandate, the Commission is also collecting and preserving evidence with a view to combatting impunity, and in that regard is assisting the work of a future Hybrid Court, as laid out in Chapter Five of the Peace Agreement.   'Many of those we spoke with stressed that establishing the Hybrid Court, together with the Commission for Truth, Reconciliation and Healing, and the Compensation and Reparation Authority, could help contribute to stabilizing the country. This would certainly send a strong signal to those who have suffered violations in connection with the conflict', stated Commissioner Andrew Clapham.   The Commission arrived in South Sudan, shortly after reports began emerging of attacks in the northern town of Bentiu, close to the Sudanese border, where over 150 women and girls were reportedly sexually assaulted and raped over the course of several days in late November.   Accountability for conflict related sexual violence has been a core element of the Commission's work given how widespread and systematic the use of sexual violence has been by the warring parties in South Sudan and the endemic impunity for such crimes. More than 65 per cent of women and girls in the country reportedly have experienced sexual violence at least once in their lives. http://bit.ly/2UNkoG2   http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/CoHSouthSudan/Pages/Index.aspx Visit the related web page
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