JUBA, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday launched an appeal for 180 million U.S. dollars in emergency aid to help internally displaced women and children in South Sudan.

Mohamed Ag Ayoga, the UNICEF representative in South Sudan, said 4.1 million children in the country are in need of urgent assistance, and that the unresolved political conflict and lack of essential services prevent displaced people from returning home to rebuild their lives.

"If we want to see a prosperous South Sudan, we need to continue to invest in the future generation, ensuring that they are not only surviving but thriving," he said. "For that we need all partners and all donors to take part."

UNICEF is targeting 50 dollars per child to reach 3.43 million children across South Sudan, where 80 percent of children require urgent nutritional support, Ayoga said.

"The children growing up in South Sudan cannot be blamed for the situation in the country. Yet, they are paying the highest price with their future," he said.

Ayoga said that given the current floods that have affected 78 counties countrywide, UNICEF is expecting an increase in the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition to increase from 860,000 in 2019 to 1.3 million next year.

He said UNICEF will partner with the World Food Program to provide emergency food aid to communities living in remote areas affected by natural disasters. Enditem

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