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A woman roasting sorghum in Greater Pibor (Photo/VOA).
The Greater Pibor Administrative Area government said an unspecified number of people have starved to death in Pochalla and Jebel Boma areas in recent months as dire hunger triggered by dry spell hit the region.
Pibor Information Minister Oleyo Akuer said hunger has hit most of parts of area with the east region being severely affected.
“There is an outbreak of hunger in Pochalla, but it is not only Pochalla. All the eastern side of Jebel Boma and Marou are experiencing hunger, because there is no access to the roads,” he said.
“We did not really receive accurate number, but we were told that a number of people died because of hunger, the hunger reached a bigger level.”
Minister Akuer stated that a dry spell caused by delayed onset of the rainy season has contributed to the hunger situation.
The official said the administrative government plans to visit the hunger-stricken areas and get the accurate number of the people who died from the condition.
“Now we are planning a visit in order to see what is going on in that side of Pochalla and Jebel Boma.”
“Our chief administrator is in Juba. We are waiting for him. When he comes we will go and see what is going on in all places in the Eastern side of Jebel Boma.”
Akuer further called on humanitarian organizations to intervene and provide food to locals in the affected areas.
Two United Nations agencies have projected the highest level of food insecurity in 18 hotspots in the world, with South Sudan, Palestine, Sudan and Mali set to suffer famine from June to October 2024.
The early warning report released by World Food Program (WFP) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), highlights the urgent need for assistance to prevent famine and dire hunger crises in the four countries.
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