SOUTH SUDAN / FAMINE FOOD AID

The United Nations started distributing food aid to the population in the famine-affected parts of South Sudan, where an estimated 100,000 people are already starving. UNMISS

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:02:52
• Production Date: 1 March 2017
• Asset Language: English
• Corporate Name: UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SOUTH SUDAN – UNMISS; WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME - WFP
• Subject Topical: HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE; MALNUTRITION
• Geographic Subject: SOUTH SUDAN
• MAMS Id: 1840411
• Parent Id: 1840411
• Alternate Title: unifeed170301f

Description

STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / FAMINE FOOD AID
TRT: 2:52
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH /NUER /NATS

DATELINE: 01 MARCH, 2017, PADEAH / SOUTH SUDAN

Shotlist

1. Pan right, people waiting
2. Various shots, women waiting
3. SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Martha, displaced woman:
“Since the fighting started, the little we get we will give to the children and the elderly people and we will be left with nothing. There are no men around. We the women are the ones struggling to take care of the families. What is hurting us a lot since the fighting started is that we are living in fear – anytime – morning or evening - we are afraid that we will be taken away.”
4. Various shots, distribution
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Luma, Country Director, World Food Program:
“Both the government officials and opposition leaders in this location are committed now to ensuring that peace is sustained and based on that discussion, we have agreed that what has prevented us from responding in this location in the past is because of fighting and insecurity. We need to have safety and security in this location before we come back to do a distribution as we are going to do now but more important to be able to establish much longer term activities.”
6. Wide shot, women standing next to sacks
7. Med shot, women leaving with sacks on their head
8. Close up, woman carries a sack on her head
9. Wide shot, scorched field and distribution in back
10. Various shots, women waiting
11. Wide shot, people leaving
12. Wide shot, boy walks by

Storyline

The United Nations started distributing food aid to the population in the famine-affected parts of South Sudan, where an estimated 100,000 people are already starving.

According to the latest report from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), famine is currently affecting parts of Unity State in the northern central part of the country.
The famine is being attributed to armed conflict, displacement, a missed cropping season and livestock raiding.

SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Martha, displaced woman:
“Since the fighting started, the little we get we will give to the children and the elderly people and we will be left with nothing. There are no men around. We the women are the ones struggling to take care of the families. What is hurting us a lot since the fighting started is that we are living in fear – anytime – morning or evening - we are afraid that we will be taken away.”

Humanitarian organizations are urgently appealing for funding to respond to the escalating crisis, with US$1.6 billion required to provide life-saving assistance and protection to some 5.8 million people across South Sudan in 2017.

Another problem for the humanitarian organizations is the lack of security for its staff to distribute the aid.

SOUNDBITE (English) Joyce Luma, Country Director, World Food Program:
“Both the government officials and opposition leaders in this location are committed now to ensuring that peace is sustained and based on that discussion, we have agreed that what has prevented us from responding in this location in the past is because of fighting and insecurity. We need to have safety and security in this location before we come back to do a distribution as we are going to do now but more important to be able to establish much longer term activities.”

According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), insecurity and lack of access have left some 100,000 people facing starvation in parts of South Sudan where famine was declared on 20 February, and a further one million are on the brink of famine. By the height of the lean season in July, it is expected that some 5.5 million people will be severely food insecure across the country.

OCHA said that since December 2013, about 3.4 million people have been displaced, including nearly 1.9 million people who have been internally displaced and about 1.5 million who have fled to neighbouring countries.