SUDAN: Malnutrition rates rising in Bahr al-Ghazal

NAIROBI, 20 June (IRIN) - Tens of thousands of people in Bahr al-Ghazal are facing serious food shortages and rising malnutrition after heavy fighting between government and rebel forces forced them to flee their homes, according to the Famine Early Warning System (FEWS). In its June update for southern Sudan, the USAID-funded FEWS said the upsurge in fighting and insecurity in Bahr al-Ghazal were "deeply disturbing", since populations in the region were currently highly food insecure.

"The insecurity will seriously undermine the populations' resilience and ability to cope during the hunger period," the report added. In Aweil and Gogrial, food insecurity had been further exacerbated by poor rains. A delay in the planting season was likely to lead to an extension of the "hunger gap" by one to two months in these areas, the report said.

According to the report, pastoralists in Kapoeta County, Eastern Equatoria, were also suffering serious food shortages. Very poor rains meant that pasture conditions had "deteriorated remarkably", and hindered attempts at recovery from three consecutive years of drought. A fourth dry year would further deplete livestock herds and give pastoralists minimal chances of recovery, leaving them "extremely vulnerable to food insecurity", the report said.