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.”

 



Masked Rioters Attack Highway in Central France

Police officers pass a boarded up high street shop on the Champs Elysees ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain tonight, and Bastille Day celebrations tomorrow, in Paris, France, July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Tom Nicholson
Police officers pass a boarded up high street shop on the Champs Elysees ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain tonight, and Bastille Day celebrations tomorrow, in Paris, France, July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Tom Nicholson
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Masked Rioters Attack Highway in Central France

Police officers pass a boarded up high street shop on the Champs Elysees ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain tonight, and Bastille Day celebrations tomorrow, in Paris, France, July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Tom Nicholson
Police officers pass a boarded up high street shop on the Champs Elysees ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup final between Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain tonight, and Bastille Day celebrations tomorrow, in Paris, France, July 13, 2025. REUTERS/Tom Nicholson

Dozens of masked assailants wielding metal bars and Molotov cocktails attacked cars on a highway and clashed with police Saturday in the city of Limoges in central France, officials said.

The overnight clashes left 10 police wounded, according to authorities, who said they suspect a gang turf war.

The unrest came in the middle of France's summer tourism season.

The armed attackers descended on the RN141 highway and tried to block it during a battle with police, according to officials.

"There were between 100 and 150 masked individuals, armed with Molotov cocktails, fireworks, stones, iron bars and baseball bats," local police union leader Laurent Nadeau told AFP.

Police responded with tear gas and crowd-control munitions.

Mayor Emile Roger Lombertie called the rioters an "urban guerrilla group".

"They're organized, structured, there's a plan, weapons," he said.

"This was not a spontaneous protest to complain about something. No pretext, nothing. It's about destroying things and showing the territory belongs to you," Lombertie added.

Prosecutors said vehicles were attacked but there were no immediate reports of wounded drivers.

Unrest had erupted nearby, in Val de l'Aurence, on the night of July 14, France's national day.

Lombertie said this "very poor neighborhood, with young people from immigrant backgrounds" had become a "lawless zone".

France's interior ministry announced on Saturday plans to deploy a special security force to the city.