The International Rescue Committee has welcomed the news from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification that famine has been averted in South Sudan this year.

This comes as a result of good rains and massive emergency aid operation.

The National Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry has announced that there would be no famine in the country according to the latest food security report, which was launched yesterday.

The Minister of Agriculture, Beda Machar Deng, said there is an improvement in food security in the country.

However, the Country Director of I-R-C in South Sudan, Wendy Taeuber, says despite that news, there are still people who are dying of hunger.

“The news is welcomed because we expected that farming could be declared as soon as September and to the hard work humanitarian agencies and the un and international aid stakeholders, we have been able to avert farming been declared this time”, she said.

Wendy said the areas that have been affected by the conflict such as Upper Nile, Unity and Jonglei States will still have famine in the coming months.

“Because of the conflict….we expect those areas to be most affected because they are the one missing the harvest. Because of the temporary improvements, they would not able to plant during the hiding of the fighting earlier this year.” She said.

Madam Wendy said the number of people who are suffering from malnutrition and associated health risks is still at critical and unacceptable levels.