JUBA, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- An international charity on Wednesday appealed to South Sudan's warring parties to cease hostilities and allow unhindered humanitarian access to people in need of aid.
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) blamed conflict for extreme hunger in South Sudan as the food crisis worsens across the world's youngest nation.
"We are calling for parties to the conflict to allow humanitarian agencies to safely access people in desperate need of aid," Sirak Mehari, acting country director for NRC in South Sudan, said in a statement issued in Juba.
"In addition, civilians must be allowed to safely cultivate their fields, go fishing and engage in other livelihood activities, so that we can avoid the repeated cycles of food insecurity that have been ravaging South Sudan for years," Mehari added.
Around 6.4 million people are currently at risk of hunger in South Sudan, according to a UN-backed report launched last week. Out of those, an estimated 1.6 million people are already facing extreme hunger.
Mehari said despite the peace agreement signed five months ago, conflict continues to impact the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
