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JUBA - 29 Apr 2013

Document: Abyei food security assessment

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS-NET) has predicted that an influx of returning population to Abyei is likely to worsen the nutrition situation for the population.

Currently most of the poor households in Abyei are facing “crisis” level acute food security outcomes, according to the famine agency.

Staple cereals in Abyei are mostly locally produced and sold via Aneit market while other goods are imported from South Kordofan. International food assistance is another major factor.

“Market disruptions, compounded by insecurity and lack of cultivation, have strained livelihoods and made the availability and accessibility of goods since 2011 significantly limited,” stated FEWS-NET in a report published Friday.

The report is based on an assessment carried out in February by the US-funded famine “to anticipate the food security situation as Abyei prepares for an influx of refugees in advance of the October referendum.”

“It is likely, given the extensive displacement and its effects, such as the lack of functioning institutions in Abyei over the past two years, that food consumption gaps will be greater as the lean season approaches (June to September) than in 2011,” stated the report. 

Photo: A child fishing in eastern Abyei, February 2013 (Radio Tamazuj)

Special Report Abyei Food Security Assessment, April 2013_0.pdf