the level of hunger in South Sudan is likely to increase next year due to food insecurity, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.

The UN agency says the situation has worsened to alarming levels, particularly in areas that were previously considered safe.

In a situation report, the FAO states that almost five million people were already facing severe food insecurity in July 2016, and extremely high levels of malnutrition.

The agency says urban populations in Juba, Wau, Aweil and other towns are struggling to cope with massive rise in prices of basic foodstuffs.

The FAO says supply lines have been severely disrupted, with insecurity continuing along key transport routes in the Greater Equatoria Region.

It also added that the risk of famine is real for thousands of people. The renewed fighting, the deepening economic and financial crisis and other factors indicate that in 2017, food security of both urban and rural populations will likely worsen.

The Food and Agriculture Organization says the impact of the latest violence will be felt throughout the remainder of 2016 and into 2017, with thousands more people displaced and the cost and logistical challenges facing the humanitarian response rising significantly.

FAO says that it is urgently seeking 28 million USD to expand the 2016 dry season campaign and initiate procurement for the 2017 main season campaign.

The government is yet to comment on the report, but previously, it warned against what it called ‘irresponsible use of the word “famine”’.