- Singapore ex-minister pleads guilty in rare graft trial
- Fishy business caught by fraying India-Bangladesh ties
- US Open champion Sabalenka chases year-end number one ranking
- New Zealand scientists discover ghostly 'spookfish'
- Trump slams early voting, even while urging Pennsylvanians to do so
- Singapore ex-minister pleads guilty to bribery in rare graft trial
- Major Hurricane John hits Mexico's Pacific coast
- IMF says ready for talks with Sri Lanka's new leftist government
- Phillies clinch division title, eye top seed
- Bills trample Jaguars, Commanders claw Bengals
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost ailing economy
- Hong Kong, Shanghai rally on China stimulus on mixed day for markets
- Back to death row? Retrial verdict due in Japan murder saga
- Rare corruption trial of Singapore ex-minister begins
- Ghana a long way off from gender equality despite new law
- China unveils fresh stimulus to boost economy
- Hamas weakened, not crushed a year into war with Israel
- Israeli economy struggles under weight of Gaza war
- Israelis united in trauma, divided by war after October 7
- New York Liberty riding WNBA boom into playoffs
- Union says new Boeing pay offer 'missed the mark'
- Environmental groups urge EU 'high risk' label for Sarawak
- Argentina seeks Maduro's arrest for crimes against humanity
- Morales issues Bolivian president 24-hour ultimatum to shake up cabinet
- Armenia and Azerbaijan see progress, but peace treaty seems distant
- World leaders gather at UN as Mideast tensions explode
- Biden's UN goodbye aims to 'Trump-proof' legacy
- Singapore ex-minister set for high-profile corruption trial
- Man Utd, Spurs eye respite from domestic woes in Europa League
- Guatemala picks Supreme Court judges with focus on anti-graft fight
- Jill Biden announces $500 million for women's health research
- Injured All Blacks centre Jordie Barrett out of Australia Test
- 'Lead the future': youth challenge world leaders at UN
- Goosebumps and stars as Paris Fashion Week kicks off
- Boeing boosts pay offer in effort to end strike
- Global markets inch higher on hopes of further rate cuts
- Amazon forest loses area the size of Germany and France, fueling fires
- 'Curious' Dupont eyes position change after claiming Top 14 award
- Man Utd stadium regeneration could add £7.3bn to British economy
- At COP16, Colombia seeks to lead by example on biodiversity
- Dupont caps off Olympic gold season with Top 14 player award
- Leeds to expand Elland Road to 53,000 capacity
- Mysterious 18th century diamond necklace set for auction
- World's oceans near critical acidification level: report
- California sues oil giant Exxon over plastic recycling 'myth'
- As wars rage, UN's critics say global body is failing its mission
- Amazon forest has lost an area the size of Germany and France
- Nadal, Alcaraz and Sinner in Davis Cup finals teams
- Telegram's Durov announces new crackdown on illegal content
- African players in Europe: Ice-cool Jackson strikes twice
UN says nine million in need of aid in South Sudan
The UN's envoy to South Sudan warned on Thursday that almost nine million people will be in need of aid this year as the fragile country grapples with a surge in violence between armed factions and a food crisis.
Clashes have flared anew in the world's youngest nation despite a pledge by President Salva Kiir and his rival, Vice President Riek Machar, to silence their guns and strive towards implementing key provisions of a 2018 peace pact.
Nicholas Haysom, the head of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), called on the leaders to step up efforts to quell the violence and urged the international community to channel in more assistance.
"This year two-thirds of the population or almost nine million people -- 4.6 million of which are children -- will need aid to survive," Haysom told reporters in the capital Juba.
"Food insecurity will be widespread. And that is worsening because of climate change, conflict and displacement."
Haysom said he was "discouraged by the resurgence of sub-national violence," highlighting the plight of thousands of people driven from their homes by fighting that erupted last week between pro-Kiir and pro-Machar forces in oil-rich Unity State.
The clashes in Leer County sent 14,000 people fleeing, according to the local authorities, while the UN also voiced alarm about reports of sexual violence, looting and destruction of property.
Traditionally a pro-Machar stronghold, Leer was an epicentre of a humanitarian crisis that emerged out of the 2013-2018 civil war, ravaged by violence as well as a famine.
South Sudan has been wracked by instability since independence in 2011 and is still struggling to draw a line under the war that claimed the lives of almost 400,000 people.
- Seeking 'renewed momentum' -
Haysom said the upsurge in fighting was increasing the number of people in need of aid and adding to woes from expected flooding in many areas in the coming months.
"Continued and sufficient funding is urgently needed to stop the worst from happening."
Kiir and Machar earlier this month agreed on the creation of a unified armed forces command -- a key component of the peace deal -- and Haysom said he hoped it would open a window of opportunity to address the problems the country faces.
"With 10 months left in the transitional period, I am now strongly encouraging all parties to channel renewed momentum towards completing the remaining benchmarks of the peace agreement and to reach an agreement as to when the elections should be held," Haysom said.
A two-year transition period laid down in the peace accord is due to end in February 2023, with elections due to be held 60 days beforehand.
"If you ask me if the country is ready for elections right now, I would say no... because the technical conditions have not been put in place," he said, such as the creation of an election management body and an electoral law.
"They cannot be held if this violence is rampant throughout the country," Haysom added, calling for a "greater level of commitment to peaceful coexistence across the country."
O.Lorenz--BTB