Edmond Yakani, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment Progress Organization [CEPO] - Credit: Eye Radio/Lou Nelson |

A civil society organization has described the looming hunger as an impending security threat to the country.

The move comes after the United Nations and South Sudan government said on Saturday that extreme weather conditions, increased armed violence, and the number of internally displaced people have led to increased food insecurity, which had worsened since last year.

According to the report, the above factors have left more than 7.7 people in South Sudan to face food security from April this year.

In March, the UN appealed to international donors to raise $1.7bn in aid needed for South Sudan to provide urgent, life-saving assistance to help millions through 2022.

The Executive Director of the Community Empowerment Progress Organization has called on the Office of President, the Parliament and the Ministry of Agriculture to organize a meeting to address the matter.

Edmond Yakani says any delay will lead to an increase in incidents of crimes, road robberies and attacks on humanitarian workers.

“Our calls to the food security council in the office of president, Ministry of agriculture and parliamentary committee on agriculture in parliament to call for a national dialogue for food security is very important, and is an urgent issue,” Yakani told Eye Radio.

“If it doesn’t respond then we are going to see food insecurity leading to an increase in incidents of crimes, incidents like road robberies, communal violence or attack of humanitarian workers because people need food, because they are facing food insecurity.

“The leadership of the country that is concerned with these issues should really step up and should call for a national food insecurity dialogue.”