Giving Compass' Take:

· Now in its fifth year, Global Citizen discusses the ongoing conflict occurring in South Sudan and explains how it has lead to hunger and malnutrition for millions of people. The author further emphasizes the role of conflict in hunger crises and expresses the need for peace in Sudan to end the suffering of innocent people.

· How can philanthropy address the ongoing conflict and hunger crisis in South Sudan?

· Learn more about the rise of food instability, hunger and malnutrition in the world.

South Sudan is experiencing record levels of hunger and malnutrition — with 1.8 million people now at risk, the country has one of the world’s worst levels of food security.

And a leading cause of the problem is, as with many of the world’s most pressing hunger crises, conflict.

Bintou Keita, the UN’s assistant secretary-general for peacekeeping operations, told a meeting of the Security Council last Thursday that the continued conflict in the country is having a direct impact on the humanitarian situation.

To make matters worse, South Sudan is also experiencing the “lean season” that comes between harvest and the growth of new plants, meaning that food stocks are rapidly depleting.

According to the UN, an estimated 7.1 million people — more than half the population — rely on food provided by humanitarian aid.

“The conflict must end,” World Food Programme (WFP) Country Representative Adnan Khan told IRIN . “It’s one of the main causes of hunger in South Sudan today, forcing millions of people to abandon their land, homes, and jobs, putting them at risk of hunger. We need both peace and sustained [humanitarian] access to succeed.”

Read the full article about hunger and malnutrition by Imogen Calderwood at Global Citizen.