S Sudan famine risk remains despite $600M pledge

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The good news for hundreds of thousands of hungry South Sudan residents is that international donors this week pledged an additional $600 million to help a country upended by conflict. The bad news is that perilous security and flooded roads mean famine remains a real possibility.

Three days after international donors pledged $606 million — bringing pledges for the year to $1.2 billion — a spokeswoman for the U.N.’s World Food Program said Friday that despite a cease-fire signed between the government and rebel fighters this month, WFP hasn’t yet seen any improvements in access for hard-to-reach areas.