Two food barges left Juba port last Friday and Saturday en route to Malakal and Melut via Mangalla, where another two barges have been waiting.

This convoy had been delayed by damage to a pusher, which has now been repaired.

According to a written update by the World Food Programme on Monday, the barges carry a total of 1,200 mt of food.

This delivery should ease pressure on the WFP airlift operation to Upper Nile, where approximately 180,000 displaced people and 120,000 refugees are in need of food.

Last week more than 109 mt of humanitarian supplies were airlifted by WFP to sites in South Sudan, mostly to Upper Nile and two neighboring states, Jonglei and Unity.

Meanwhile, WFP reports that a group of technical experts will meet next week to prepare for the next Integrated Food Security Phase Classification.

This classification is the main tool used by humanitarians to determine whether or not to make a declaration of emergency.

File photo (WFP)

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