South Sudan is facing extreme level of hunger while preparing to mark its eighth year of independence next week, says Norwegian Refugee Council.
The Council in a statement issued on Friday is calling on all parties to work hard to end the country´s disturbing cycle of hunger and conflict.
Emergency measures must be taken to prevent the country from falling back into a catastrophic food crisis to the levels we saw in 2017, said Alexander Davey, Country Director for the Council in South Sudan.
He says they are concerned about the number of displaced people living in affected areas with virtually no access to humanitarian assistance.
Davey says South Sudan urgently needs an end to this persistent cycle of hunger and conflict.
He warns that almost seven million people, more than half of the population, are facing acute levels of hunger with 860,000 children likely to suffer from malnutrition.
Up to 21,000 people Cueibet, Pigi and Panyikang are at risk of famine according to the latest IPC figures, Davey adds.
According to the UN OCHA an estimated 1.9 million people are currently displaced in South Sudan with 2.3 million others in neighbouring countries.