Millions Face Starvation , After U.N. Program Cuts Funding , to South Sudan .<br />'The Guardian' reports that the World <br />Food Program has suspended food aid <br />to 1.7 million people in South Sudan. .<br />The decision was reportedly driven by the war in Ukraine as the price of necessary staples has skyrocketed.<br />Originally, the U.N.'s emergency food assistance agency planned to deliver aid to over 6 million acutely food-insecure people in South Sudan.<br />The WFP said it will now have to <br />prioritize 4.5 million of the most vulnerable <br />in order to prevent them from dying of starvation.<br />It’s a drastic cut because it’s a third <br />of the total of people that we know <br />require food assistance, but we <br />had to do a kind of triage, if you will, Marwa Awad, WFP spokesperson, via 'The Guardian'.<br />We had to decide who to keep assisting <br />and who we can afford to suspend the <br />assistance from – not because they’re <br />not in need but because they can survive, Marwa Awad, WFP spokesperson, via 'The Guardian'.<br />The remaining 1.7 million people <br />will consequently be cut off <br />from support and aid. .<br />They are food insecure. And if aid <br />is not given to support them, they will <br />slide further down the scale of hunger <br />and reach starvation level, Marwa Awad, WFP spokesperson, via 'The Guardian'.<br />Included in the cuts are free school <br />meals for 178,000 of the crisis-plagued <br />country's poorest children.<br />According to the WFP, an extra <br />$426 million would be needed to provide <br />food assistance for the next six months.
