Famine in South Sudan; 'Nearly Five Million People Need Immediate Assistance'

International relief organizations warned on Monday that one hundred thousand people in South Sudan are facing famine, and nearly five million in the country need immediate assistance. According to CNN, the World Food Programme and international aid organizations have stated that people are currently dying from hunger, and another one million will face the risk of famine in the coming months. The report indicates that civil war and the refugee crisis have severely damaged South Sudan's economy. South Sudan gained independence in 2011. These international organizations have warned that nearly one million children are suffering from malnutrition. Serge Tissot from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations said, 'Our worst nightmare has become a reality.' Many families are using every means possible to survive. Emma Jane Drew, the director of Oxfam in South Sudan, also stated that people have been forced to eat whatever they have to survive. Oxfam is one of the major international organizations focused on humanitarian aid and eradicating poverty and hunger. Emma Jane Drew added that people trapped in conflict areas are suffering the most. This Oxfam official pointed out that the famine in South Sudan is a human-made tragedy and called for an end to the conflicts to allow aid to reach famine-stricken areas. According to the report, four million nine hundred thousand people, or 40 percent of the country's population, are facing famine. Meanwhile, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced on Monday that nearly one million four hundred thousand children in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen are on the brink of death due to malnutrition. According to AFP, at least 462 thousand children in Yemen have suffered from severe malnutrition in the past two years. In this context, South Sudan is facing a 'catastrophic famine.' UNICEF: Many children are dying in the Yemen war, and the rest are starving.