Famine threatens people of South Sudan, UN chief warns

(UNITED NATIONS) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned Wednesday that more than one million people in South Sudan were at risk of famine.

"Without immediate action, up to a million people could face famine in a matter of months," Ban said on welcoming the European Union's aid commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva.

"Millions are going hungry today -- and we are seeing evidence of extremely high levels of malnutrition among hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the conflict, especially women and children," he stressed.

Ban also called for an end to the fighting and a political resolution to the conflict.

"We need the resources to continue providing life-saving assistance and livelihood support," he said.

The conflict in South Sudan has left thousands dead and forced around a million to flee their homes since fighting broke out on December 15 in the capital Juba before spreading to other states in the oil-rich nation.