Structural violence and conflict drive famine risk in South Sudan
Original framing: “UN warns South Sudan at risk of ‘full-scale famine’ as fighting intensifies” — Al Jazeera
The roots of South Sudan's famine risk lie in the legacy of colonial resource extraction, post-independence civil war, and the 2013 coup that triggered renewed violence. Similar patterns of conflict-driven famine have occurred in Ethiopia, Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The famine risk in South Sudan is not an isolated humanitarian crisis but a systemic outcome of unresolved political conflict, climate stress, and the marginalization of local knowledge.
Indigenous food systems and cross-cultural models of resilience offer viable alternatives to the current aid-dependent paradigm. By integrating scientific insights with traditional knowledge, and by empowering women and youth, South Sudan can move toward sustainable food security. Regional cooperation and long-term peacebuilding are essential to breaking the cycle of violence and underdevelopment that has plagued the region for decades.