Relief and food supplies are expected to flow into South Sudan through Ethiopia, after the governments of both countries approved use of the corridor.  

The development comes amid reports of ‘alarmingly high rates of malnutrition’ among South Sudanese refugees arriving in Ethiopia, as well as those displaced into inaccessible regions within Jonglei and Upper Nile states, which border Ethiopia, according to UNHCR.

In an update on Friday, the UN coordination office disclosed, “The World Food Programme received authorization to commence operations via the Ethiopian corridor.”

Last week the food agency carried out airdrops into the border county Maban because food supplies were nearly exhausted for more than 120,000 Sudanese refugees plus refugees from elsewhere in the state.

According to Toby Lanzer, the UN Emergency Directors were informed of the decision by the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs earlier this week.

He said the government consented for access to South Sudan from Ethiopia along the Gambela corridor, a western Ethiopian region bordering on such South Sudanese towns as Akobo and Nasser.

File photo: WFP operations to provide food assistance to people in Pibor County, Jonglei, July 2013 (WFP/George Fominyen)