In addition, more than two million children are expected to suffer from acute malnutrition during the same period, the UN World Food Program (WFP) warned.
The UN agency said food insecurity is “widespread and deepening” in parts of South Sudan.
Constant warnings
“We have been constantly warning about the serious food and nutrition crisis that the country continues to face,” UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said at Wednesday’s daily briefing in New York.
Fears are greatest for 28,000 people living in Luakpiny/Nasir and Fangak counties, where hunger levels are described as catastrophic, in the latest report by UN-backed international food security experts, the CPI, recognized as the most authoritative source for monitoring extreme hunger and famine around the world.
They note that southern areas of Luakpiny/Nasir county are at risk of famine if conflict persists and access restrictions persist, amid flooding and disease outbreaks.
Ending hunger depends on South Sudan’s fields being cultivated and markets reopening, UN agencies say.
Prepare for the tsunami: investing in preparedness to save lives
Over the past 100 years, tsunamis have claimed more than 260,000 lives – an average of 4,600 per disaster – more deaths than any other natural hazard, the United Nations Agency for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) said on Wednesday.
In line with efforts to reduce disaster losses and strengthen resilience to protect lives, livelihoods and economies from the devastating impacts of tsunamis, the theme of this year’s World Tsunami Awareness Day is Be Tsunami Prepared: Invest in Tsunami Preparedness.
Tsunamis are rare but highly destructive and pose an existential threat wherever the monster wave phenomenon occurs. “Let us commit to building on the progress we have made and investing the necessary funds to improve tsunami preparedness and resilience for all,” said UNDRR Chief Kamal Kashore.
Tsunamis disrupt livelihoods, industries, agriculture, and critical services such as education and healthcare.
Early alerts save lives
The recent magnitude 8.8 earthquake off the coast of Russia on July 30, 2025 clearly demonstrates why early warnings are essential.
Quick action then allowed communities to evacuate in time, avoiding large-scale loss of life.
Rapid urbanization and tourism development in tsunami-prone regions are putting more and more people at risk, making risk reduction a key factor if the world is to achieve substantial reductions in disaster mortality.
“With sea levels rising and more people living on the coast, early warning systems need investment and improvement,” said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his message of the day.
Lebanon: UN peacekeepers report intensified military activity along the Blue Line
U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon have reported an increase in military movements and exchanges of fire along the Blue Line separating Lebanon and Israel, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said on Wednesday.
“UNIFIL peacekeepers continue to observe the presence and military activities of the Israel Defense Forces,” he told reporters, noting that in the past two days they had seen “more than 100 IDF vehicles moving in Sector East and around 60 in Sector West, with several Markava tanks among them.”
He said peacekeepers reported “approximately 300 small arms fires” from south of the Blue Line near Kfar Shouba on Monday, and “another 100 direct fires” near Shab’a the next day.
Haq reminded all parties “of their obligation to ensure the security of UN personnel and assets.” UNIFIL also discovered and reported on several weapons caches and continues to organize joint patrols and training with the Lebanese Armed Forces.