UN Agencies Say a Violence-hit Part of South Sudan is on the Brink of Famine

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo
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UN Agencies Say a Violence-hit Part of South Sudan is on the Brink of Famine

FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Sudanese women from community kitchens run by local volunteers prepare meals for people who are affected by conflict and extreme hunger and are out of reach of international aid efforts, in Omdurman, Sudan, June 22, 2024. REUTERS/Mazin Alrasheed/File Photo

Three United Nations agencies warned on Thursday of looming famine in a conflict-stricken part of South Sudan.

People in 11 of 13 counties in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state now face emergency levels of hunger, the World Food Program, the UN Children’s Fund and the Food and Agriculture Organization said in a joint statement.

Upper Nile is the scene of fighting between government troops and armed militias that oppose the government of President Salva Kiir. The fighting has escalated in recent months, “destroying homes, disrupting livelihoods and impeding the delivery of humanitarian aid,” the statement said.

Some 32,000 people are in hunger conditions categorized as “catastrophic,” more than three times the previous projection, it said.

Although some other parts of South Sudan are seeing improvements in food security, some 57% of the east African country's 11.5 million people face acute food insecurity, Reuters reported.

Famine was declared in parts of South Sudan in 2017.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, the leading international system to designate hunger crises, considers an area to be in famine when three things occur: 20% of households have an extreme lack of food, or essentially are starving; at least 30% of children suffer from acute malnutrition or wasting, meaning they’re too thin for their height; and two adults or four children per every 10,000 people are dying daily of hunger and its complications.

The IPC unites experts from more than 20 organizations, including UN agencies, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, the European Union, and the World Bank.

Nasir, one of the counties facing a famine warning, is a stronghold for anti-government militias and the scene of fighting that has left mounting civilian casualties.

“Once again, we are seeing the devastating impact conflict has on food security in South Sudan,” Mary-Ellen McGroarty, the World Food Program representative in South Sudan, said in the statement by the UN agencies. “Conflict doesn’t just destroy homes and livelihoods, it tears communities apart, cuts off access to markets and sends food prices spiraling upward. Long-term peace is essential, but right now, it is critical our teams are able to access and safely distribute food to families caught in conflict in Upper Nile, to bring them back from the brink and prevent famine.”

 



Protest Against Gaza War Prevents Israeli Visitors from Touring Greek Island

Two empty chairs stand on a beach as people cool off during a heat wave, near Athens, Greece, 22 July 2025. (EPA)
Two empty chairs stand on a beach as people cool off during a heat wave, near Athens, Greece, 22 July 2025. (EPA)
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Protest Against Gaza War Prevents Israeli Visitors from Touring Greek Island

Two empty chairs stand on a beach as people cool off during a heat wave, near Athens, Greece, 22 July 2025. (EPA)
Two empty chairs stand on a beach as people cool off during a heat wave, near Athens, Greece, 22 July 2025. (EPA)

A cruise ship carrying Israeli tourists left the Greek island of Syros Tuesday without its passengers disembarking, after more than 150 protesters demonstrated at the island’s port, unfurling Palestinian flags and calling for an end to the war in Gaza.

Carrying banners that read: “Stop the Genocide” and “No a/c in hell” — a reference to the conditions Palestinians face in the Gaza Strip — the protesters chanted slogans on the dock near where the cruise ship, the Crown Iris, was docked on Tuesday, local media said. There were no reports of any violence.

The ship is operated by an Israeli company, Mano Cruise, which said about 1,700 passengers were on board and it is sailing to Cyprus.

Greece’s coast guard said the ship set sail at around 3 p.m., earlier than originally scheduled, but did not immediately have any further details.

“The management of Mano Cruise has decided in light of the situation in the city of Syros to now sail to another tourist destination,” the company said in a press release. “All passengers and crew members are resting and spending time on the ship on their way to the new destination.”

Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar contacted his Greek counterpart, George Gerapetritis, over the incident, the Greek foreign ministry confirmed. It did not release any details of their discussion.