Famine has been formally declared in parts of South Sudan, the United Nations said on Monday, warning that war and a collapsing economy have left 100,000 people facing starvation, while a further 1 million people are classified as being 'on the brink of famine'.

In a statement issued jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, the United Nations Children's Fund, UNICEF, the World Food Programme, WFP, and other humanitarian partners, said that 4.9 million people, more than 40 percent of South Sudan's population, are in need of urgent food, agriculture and nutrition assistance.