Commentary | William Lambers: We can stop the tragedy of aid cuts for refugees | Opinion

We often take it for granted how easy it is to get food or water. But in parts of the globe people are struggling to get even the most basic supplies for living. This is tragically happening to starving war refugees in South Sudan.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warn that 650,000 refugees in South Sudan are at risk of losing life-saving food as funding runs out. There has to be a surge in funding right away. WFP and UNHCR depend on voluntary funding from governments and citizens for their relief missions.

In a press release WFP and UNHCR said that refugees in South Sudan will lose aid in September, “cutting off a lifeline for hundreds of thousands already living on the edge.”

These are refugees who had fled the civil war in neighboring Sudan, a country where there is armed conflict and famine. The world should be able to provide these war refugees with food, water and shelter but tragically funding is running out. If it’s not restored soon war victims arriving in South Sudan will be in danger of starvation.

“Every week, thousands more refugees and returnees continue to arrive from Sudan with almost nothing, many exhausted, hungry and in urgent need of protection and assistance,” said Mesfin Degefu, UNHCR Deputy Representative in South Sudan.

We cannot forget about war victims, but sadly the conflict in Sudan is often not covered in the media. WFP has already been forced to reduce rations for refugees in South Sudan because of the lack of attention. Now come September more war victims will be losing all their aid unless funding comes through. Refugees in South Sudan may have escaped the war in Sudan, but they continue to be in danger of hunger.

Think of children who are refugees and vulnerable to deadly malnutrition. You can help by holding a fundraiser for WFP and UNHCR. You can also contact your elected officials urging them to support funding for aid programs to feed refugees.

You can make a big difference by letting people know about the horror of war in Sudan and people fleeing to South Sudan for help. We have to get war victims on the radar of the international community to boost aid funding and encourage diplomacy to end the fighting. South Sudan itself is a country mired in hunger with 7.8 million people facing food insecurity.

What we have is a region in Africa devastated by war and hunger. WFP needs an immediate US $37 million dollars for its mission in South Sudan. Both WFP and UNHCR need hundreds of millions to sustain aid in South Sudan. This is just a tiny fraction compared to war and weapons spending.

Imagine going through the trauma of fleeing the war in Sudan and having to cross the border into South Sudan, hoping to find safety and food. Instead you find more hunger. We can save war refugees in South Sudan from this tragedy if we take action.