Marianne Kajokaya, Women for Women International's Country Director South Sudan, recently spoke with iNews about the crisis women are currently facing and the ripple effects of the war in Ukraine.
Previously, invasion of farmlands and floods have contributed to displacement and instability within the country. Now, they face new challenges with the cost of living skyrocketing as a ripple effect of the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia, as they are major exporters of resources such as wheat, fertilizer, and fuel. Humanitarian funding has also partly been diverted to support Ukrainians, leaving families in South Sudan in a dire situation.
“With the war in Ukraine, things have become even worse as the common man is unable to meet basic needs due to a spike in prices that has even worsened in the past few weeks,” according to Marianne.
South Sudan imports 80 percent of food items from Uganda and Kenya, all of which have increased in price as a result of the war between Ukraine and Russia, two major exporters of wheat, fertilizer, and fuel. Additionally, humanitarian funding for the food crisis in many African countries, including South Sudan, has been diverted to support Ukrainians.