Insecurity a continued threat to food security

There are some notable improvements in the food security situation in southern Sudan compared to last year, especially in parts of northern Bahr al-Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria, according to the Southern Sudan Update early warning bulletin late last week. An improvement in rainfall, which was moderately heavy across most of southern Sudan in October, and in access to inputs, were among the factors that contributed to this, according to the 8 November report from the USAID-backed Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) Network and WFP. However, insecurity remained a threat in many areas, and heavy rains had combined with high river water levels to create localised flooding (a common seasonal occurrence), which could compromise food security in low-lying parts of Bahr al-Ghazal, Upper Nile, Lakes (Al-Buhayrat) region and Jonglei, according to the report. Early indications from annual needs assessments conducted so far were that food security had improved in Aweil East, northern Bahr al-Ghazal, yet a combination of insecurity, poor humanitarian access, lack of health services and malnutrition left a situation that required close monitoring in Aweil South, it stated. Insecurity would continue to be the biggest threat in Aweil West also, as the government's Khartoum-Wau military train passes through the county, it added. Good rains had led to a steady improvement of crop production in Wau County over the last three years, but fighting between government forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) - which had caused displacement around Raga, as well as the closure of markets in Acumcum, Bararud and Midel - was likely to have an impact on food security, according to the report. Crops in Ruweng County have been poor this year, due to people's lack of access to seeds and tools, and their inability to cultivate and care for their crops due to insecurity, it said. This followed difficult years in 1999 and 2000 as the population's presence near the oilfields put them in direct conflict with government troops, the fear of helicopter gunship attacks had caused repeated displacement and humanitarian access was also "severely curtailed", as were water and health services, it added. Repeated population displacements and the disruption of trade by a combination of inter-factional fighting and government attacks had also left the population in Leech State (western Upper Nile/Unity), especially those near the oilfields, increasingly food insecure over the past two years, according to the Southern Sudan Update. A combination of population displacement, insecurity and related lack of access to land left a worrying food situation in Bieh and Latjor, though better rains and grazing together with an abundance of wild foods augured better for Kapoeta County in Eastern Equatoria, it said. Though a first phase of annual needs assessments was almost complete, plans to conduct assessments in Torit, Budi and Raga counties had to be postponed due to insecurity, the report added.