COVID-19 will worsen South Sudan's existing challenges - WFP

Country Director for the UN World Food Programme in South Sudan has warned of the risk posed by COVID-19 in the country.

The East-Central African nation is, already struggling with hunger due to conflict, its harsh climate and locust invasions.

Matthew Hollingworth told the media: “Last year we had to feed 5 million people due to fighting and flooding.

“Already in 2020 we have had locust invasions and now there is the COVID-19 pandemic which we predict could almost double the people in acute hunger by the end of 2020 across the world.

“The only way we can halt this trend is if generous funding for humanitarian crises like the one here in South Sudan continues,” he stressed.

In 2020, an early projection estimated that up to 5.5 million South Sudanese will go hungry, and the number of people in need is likely to increase because of the destruction caused by these floods. WFP has deployed the use of airdrops as a last resort to reach people in isolated places.