Juba, Jul 5 (IANS): The UN has appealed for $400 million to provide minimum humanitarian aid to South Sudan amid multiple interconnected shocks.

"We need urgent funds and are appealing to the world to remember the most vulnerable in South Sudan," Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan Sara Beysolow Nyanti said in a statement, stressing the humanitarian context in the country is daunting and is the worst that it has ever been.

The UN official warned that if humanitarian needs are not addressed, these funding gaps will leave millions of the most vulnerable people at risk of losing access to vital humanitarian assistance and protection, reports Xinhua news agency.

She said protection of women and girls, food, nutrition, and shelter is needed, warning that the lack of safety and security will further deepen these risks.

"The resources have dwindled, but lives should not," Nyanti said, noting that there are more than 2 million people displaced in South Sudan, and the absence of funding puts those in camps at risk to be left in critical need of water, sanitation and hygiene, and health services.

The UN official says some 8.9 million people in South Sudan are estimated to need significant humanitarian assistance and protection in 2022.

The humanitarian response plan requests 1.7 billion dollars to target 6.8 million people with life-saving assistance and protection services.

The plan, however, is currently funded only at 27 per cent.

Nyanti said the funding gaps are across all humanitarian interventions in the country and severe consequences are likely if urgent financing is not secured.

The UN warned that a lack of funding for nutrition support will immediately leave 127,000 children, and 115,000 pregnant or lactating women without vital treatment services and an estimated 1.9 million people will not have access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene services without more funds.