The World Food Programme announced Thursday in a statement that they will deliver up to 2000 metric tons of food within two weeks to tens of thousands of refugees in the state of Upper Nile in South Sudan.
The director of the UN food agency in South Sudan Chris Nikoi said in a statement that “WFP is pulling out all the stops to keep providing desperately needed food to refugees in Upper Nile State. People in camps have told me how they arrived weak and hungry after weeks of trekking and foraging in the forest before crossing the border.”
In July, the WFP supported about 105,000 refugees in Maban County, but the unexpected arrival of about 35,000 additional refugees in the last two months brought a sharp increase in food needs just as the rainy season set in, making movement of food into the area far more challenging.
The UN had not pre-positioned enough food to provide for so many refugees. ‘Extraordinary measures’ are now needed, said Nikoi.
Another 3000 metric tons will be dropped for Yida Camp and other camps for refugees in Unity State. The airdrops will begin in mid-August and will cost US$6.5 million, according to WFP.
The agency will also provide special nutritional commodities to children under 5 years old in Yusif Batil Camp due to “alarming levels of malnutrition.”