By News Group (Originally in English)
Years of unrest, food shortages and conflicts in 2016 in South Sudan have forced at least 100,000 people to flee the new country, with the number of refugees now totaling over one million and the number of internally displaced people at more than 1.6 million. The situation was worsened by the prolonged annual period between harvests in 2016 when food stocks were being depleted. According to a July 2016 report by United Nations agencies, 4.8 million people in South Sudan, which is about 40 percent of its population, faced severe food shortage. As of April 2017, 4.9 million South Sudanese are food insecure and 100,000 are facing famine.
To address the emergency issues such as health, hygiene, water, sanitation, shelter and basic necessities of the South Sudanese refugees in Sudan, the Sudan Red Crescent Society (SRCS) organized relief operations with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), who was able to raise funds through the Sudanese Red Crescent Population Movement appeal. Contributing to the caring initiative by SRCS, Supreme Master Ching Hai also contributed US$20,000 on July 5, 2016.
As a result of the international aid provided by Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies from various countries and other NGOs, thousands of South Sudanese have received assistance. We hope and pray that the ongoing conflicts in the region will soon ease and people will be able to rebuild their lives together.