South Sudan's Kiir promises safe aid access amid famine

The president of South Sudan, Salva Kiir, on Tuesday promised to get access to major NGOs that will provide food assistance to the hunger-stricken civilians.

Addressing parliamentarians in the national assembly, Kiir assured that his government will ensure that all the humanitarian and developmental organizations have unimpeded access to the needy population across the country.

The message comes a day after the government declared famine a national disaster in the Africa’s youngest nation.

Government predictions have indicated that nearly half of South Sudan’s 11 million people will lack reliable access to affordable food by July as a result of fighting, drought and hyperinflation.

South Sudan has been hit by the same east African drought that has pushed Somalia back to the brink of famine, six years after 260,000 people starved to death in 2011.