13 January 2014 - Fighting in South Sudan threatens to increase hunger and unravel modest gains made in food security since the country became independent two and a half years ago, UN agencies warn.

A major concern is the displacement of some 355,000 people since the conflict erupted a month ago between pro- and anti-government forces.

The agricultural sector has been disrupted at a time when preparations should be underway for plantings or harvests, “generating an alarming risk of food insecurity and malnutrition”, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“Timing is everything,” FAO country Representative Sue Lautze said today in Juba, the capital. “There are fish in the rivers now, pastoralists are trying to protect their herds and the planting season for maize, groundnut and sorghum starts in March."

Under the UN Crisis Response Plan, FAO and partners are seeking $61 million for crucial efforts to get seeds, livestock vaccines, fishing gear and other agricultural inputs and services to vulnerable rural and urban families whose production and income activities are being disrupted.

"It is essential that security and stability return to South Sudan immediately so that displaced people can return to their homes, fields, herds and fishing grounds,” Ms. Lautze said.

“Even before the recent fighting … some 4.4 million people (of a total 11 million) were already estimated to be facing food insecurity in South Sudan in 2014,” FAO Emergency and Rehabilitation Division Director Dominique Burgeon said at the agency’s headquarters in Rome. “Of those, 830,000 were facing acute food insecurity."

The conflict is affecting major supply routes, displacing traders and leading to rising food and fuel prices, along with the breakdown of local markets crucial to rural farmers, fishers and livestock-dependent populations.

"South Sudan was already facing challenges in terms of livestock diseases,” Ms. Lautze said. “In some areas, young animals have been dying at a rate of 40-50 per cent. We estimate that more than half of the country's capacity for vaccine storage and distribution has been lost and must urgently be restored."

Meanwhile, UNMISS continues to protect nearly 60,000 civilians inside 10 bases across the country, and is creating a new site in Juba, where 30,000 IDPs are already seeking shelter at two UN locations.

The mission said today that anti-government forces were in control of Bor, Jonglei State, amid reports of sporadic gunfire close to the UN base there. Bentiu in the north, where nearly 9,000 civilians were being protected by 570 UN peacekeepers, remained relatively calm.

Aid agencies are extremely concerned about reports of violence against civilians and aid workers, and the looting of humanitarian compounds and commandeering of vehicles. Tomorrow, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic will visit South Sudan to assess the situation amid reports abuses by both sides.