Kauda — On Monday, The Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) said that 37 people had died from hunger in areas under its jurisdiction in South Kordofan and the Blue Nile.
This follows their announcement on August 14 that famine had hit the Nuba mountains and New Funj areas.
Jatiqa Amogo Dalman, head of the media committee of the National Liberation Council told Darfur24 that the humanitarian situation has reached catastrophic levels. More than 20 percent of families are suffering from severe food shortages, and over 30 percent of children are suffering from malnutrition.
The United Nations visited in June to assess the situation and confirmed there was famine. But the rest has been slow, Dalman said. He did not expect relief to reach the SPLM-N areas in the next two months, but argued that UN agencies should have capacity to airdrop food.
In May, South Sudan hosted a round of negotiations between the army and the SPLM-N regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid to South and West Kordofan and the Blue Nile, but the talks ultimately collapsed.