South Sudan

South Sudan: Thousands facing food insecurity as food aid cuts hit

The deaths occurred in a displacement camp in the northern Warrap state.

It comes after the UN's World Food Programme (WFP) said it had suspended rationing programmes in parts of the country due to a lack of funding.

In June, the body said it needed $426m (£352m) to continue distributing food.

But that aid has not been forthcoming as the international community has focussed on other overlapping crises, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

UN: World facing greatest humanitarian crisis since 1945

UN humanitarian chief Stephen O'Brien said that more than 20 million people faced the threat of starvation and famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria.

Unicef has already warned 1.4m children could starve to death this year.

Mr O'Brien said $4.4bn (£3.6bn) was needed by July to avert disaster.

"We stand at a critical point in history," Mr O'Brien told the Security Council on Friday. "Already at the beginning of the year we are facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations."

South Sudan declares famine in Unity State

The government and the United Nations report that some 100,000 people are facing starvation, with a million more on the brink of famine.

A combination of civil war and an economic collapse have been blamed.

There have been warnings of famine in Yemen, Somalia and north-eastern Nigeria, but South Sudan is the first to declare one.

South Sudan: Did clashes start over Facebook post?

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Vice President Riek Machar appealed for calm after days of heavy fightingbetween their soldiers.

Kiir and Machar have separate forces loyal to each side, but more on that later. The two rivals have been embroiled in a power struggle for years, with forces loyal to both engaging in battles and civilians trapped in the crossfires.

South Sudan: 'Riek Machar forces under fire' in Juba

UN representatives reported heavy exchanges of gunfire near their headquarters in the suburb of Jebel.

The clashes follow days of fighting between supporters of President Salva Kiir and Vice-President Riek Machar.

The violence has raised fears of renewed instability, with a 2015 peace deal failing to quell unrest.

Heavy gunfire was reported on Sunday in the Gudele and Jebel suburbs of Juba, near a military barracks occupied by troops loyal to Mr Machar.

Official: 85 killed in South Sudan fuel tanker explosion

Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said Thursday that 50 others were injured in the blast which took place in Maridi after the truck veered off the road.

Citing the accounts of local authorities, he said the taker was "full of petrol" that started to leak and residents were siphoning off fuel when someone lit a cigarette, sparking an explosion.

Ateny said the injured were taken to local hospitals which are overwhelmed.

South Sudan leader signs peace deal amid sanctions threat

     

Kiir signed the agreement in Juba, South Sudan's capital, in a ceremony witnessed by regional leaders. Kiir said he was signing the document despite having serious reservations. He signed the same agreement endorsed by rebel leader Riek Machar, said Kiir's spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny.

Journalist killed in S.Sudan after president threatens media

Julius Kilong Ramoi said Thursday his son, Peter Julius Moi, a reporter for the Corporate Weekly, was shot twice in the back Wednesday night. 

The international Journalists' rights group Committee to Project Journalist quoted Kiir as threatening journalists on Sunday. Moi was shot dead near South Sudan's only brewery which had been the subject articles he had written recently.

Moi is the seventh journalist to be killed in South Sudan this year.

South Sudan's leader refuses to sign peace deal

Kiir said he needs 15 days before he will sign the agreement with rebel leader Riek Machar, according to mediators in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa. Machar signed the accord before Kiir refused.

Some South Sudanese women who participated in the negotiations were seen crying after Kiir said he would not sign. Others banged tables to express their disappointment.

Obama, African leaders to hold talks on South Sudan crisis

Obama's meeting in Ethiopia on Monday comes as an Aug. 17 deadline to reach a deal approaches.

Senior Obama administration officials say if there's no agreement, the U.S. and other nations would deepen pressure on South Sudan's warring factions, possibly through increased sanctions and the pursuit of an arms embargo.