Fighting worsens food insecurity in western Upper Nile

The government of Sudan's military offensive in Leech State, western Upper Nile, is exacerbating food insecurity in an area where populations are already highly food insecure and many have been displaced several times by fighting, according to the latest southern Sudan update from the Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS Net). The massive government offensive was "deeply disturbing", and had featured prominently in emergency meetings of humanitarian agencies grouped in the Operation Lifeline Sudan consortium in February and March, the report, covering the period to mid-March, stated. Leech State lies in an oil-rich area of western Upper Nile - referred to as Unity State by the government of Sudan - that has been intensely contested by the government of Sudan and the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army in the last two years, where civilians have borne an increasing brunt of military operations, according to humanitarian sources. Leech State includes a sizeable portion of the oil concession area (known as Blocks 1, 2 and 4) operated by the Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company Limited, a consortium in which the Canadian company Talisman Energy is a partner. Humanitarian and human rights groups have repeatedly expressed concern at an apparent increase in the number of direct attacks on civilians - including from helicopter gunships - and an alleged policy of forced displacement of civilians in oil-concession areas. The government of Sudan has persistently denied that such a policy exists. Northern parts of Leech State have experienced intermittent insecurity since 1999, with populations displaced several times, losing most of their assets, livestock and seed stocks, the United States Agency for International Aid- and World Food Programme-supported FEWS Net stated in its latest food security update. Moreover, with agriculture grossly hampered, there had been a progressive reduction in farm sizes and reduced yields, it said. The economy of western Upper Nile is based on livestock herding, agriculture and fishing, and the livelihoods of the majority Nuer and Dinka inhabitants - based on seasonal movement back and forth between permanent villages and cattle camps - have been sorely affected by insecurity, according to humanitarian sources. In normal years (before 1999), households would get up to 50 percent of their food needs from their own crops, but for 2001/02, that would be down to between 20 and 25 percent for middle and rich groups, the FEWS Net update stated. Poor families would fare even worse and face a situation where their own crops would contribute only around 15 to 20 percent of food needs, it added. "The new attacks have resulted in the destruction and depletion of the minimal food stocks, and precluded access to some of the other food sources available, such as fish and wild foods," according to FEWS Net. Civilians in Leech State were now hiding to protect themselves from [government] helicopter gunship raids, and were "unlikely to risk their lives to receive assistance even if access was possible", FEWS Net reported on 15 March, citing field reports. Flight denials to some of the affected locations (as a result of military clashes) had "further exacerbated the grave situation" by limiting food- and non-food assistance to needy populations, it said. Physical insecurity was also exacerbating food insecurity, and presenting a major humanitarian threat, in parts of the Upper Nile, Bahr al-Ghazal and Eastern Equatoria regions, FEWS Net stated. "As the hunger period draws near, food unavailability is expected to persist in many of the already affected areas before it dissipates with the harvests in July/August, security allowing," it added.