PRESS TV

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) says almost half of the population in Sudan's southern region is facing food shortages.

The UN's emergency food agency said in a statement on Tuesday that the number of people facing food shortages had quadrupled in only a year.

It added that a total of 4.3 million people need food aid in the oil-producing south, up from around 1 million last year.

According to the WFP, the shortage is caused by internal conflict and seasonal drought. The agency also expresses hope that it can provide the aid needed by the people across the region until the next harvest.

However, the WFP notes that its program, which aims to reach millions of people across Sudan, is facing a shortfall of half-a-billion dollars.

A surge in tribal fighting killed more than 2,500 people and led 350,000 more to flee their homes last year.