The European Commission has signed two major contracts with the World Food Program, totaling €14 million to increase food aid for South Sudanese refugees.
Due to a failed harvest and the violence which erupted in December last year, South Sudan is on the brink of a famine, according to the UN.
More than 1.1 million people have been internally displaced and over 400, 000 have sought refuge in neighboring countries.
“The numbers of people affected are frightening: almost seven million people are at risk of hunger. By signing these contracts now with the WFP, our biggest partner in food aid, we will save the lives of many South Sudanese people,” Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, said in a press statement.
She said the aid will help approximately 1.7 million people.
Almost six tons of food will be distributed as well as vouchers and/or cash to give needy people the ability to buy a variety of foods from local markets.
€5 million will support logistics to transport life-saving supplies to the most vulnerable in remote parts of the country.
Earlier, the UN had said 180,000 South Sudanese Refugees in Ethiopia might receive half of the food rations they are receiving now by September due to lack of funds.
The UN’s World Food Program had appealed for 211 million US dollars for South Sudanese refugees in Ethiopia.