February 2014 - The complex humanitarian situation in South Sudan has become much worse since fighting broke out between government and anti-government forces in Juba, the capital city, in December 2013. The United Nations estimates that over 1,000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more wounded. The fighting has displaced some 740,000 people from their homes within South Sudan, and more than 123,400 South Sudanese refugees have sought protection in neighbouring countries (Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda). Agricultural production has been disrupted, and essential basic services, such as water points, schools, and medical facilities have been shut down or destroyed in the fighting. Immediate humanitarian assistance needs include food, health care, shelter, protection, water, sanitation and hygiene. With the support of DFATD and other donors, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) is providing emergency assistance to up to 400,000 internally displaced persons in South Sudan. The project aims to meet urgent needs by: distributing food to the most vulnerable internally displaced people and host communities throughout South Sudan, with a particular focus on women and children; providing cash and vouchers in communities where markets are still open and food stocks are still available; and providing supplementary feeding and nutritional support to prevent or treat malnutrition in vulnerable people, including children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and members of female-headed households.
