World Bulletin / News Desk

Some four million people in South Sudan are likely to face critical food shortages next month, British aid agencies have warned.

However the Disaster Emergency Committee says the cost of mounting an appeal to pay for aid might outweigh donations.

South Sudan's president has already warned of "one of worst famines ever".

Since fighting erupted between different factions of South Sudan's ruling party last December, more than a million people have fled their homes.

The conflict, which later on escalated into ethnic violence, started as a political dispute between South Sudan President Salva Kiir and Riek Machar that concluded into thousands of deaths. 

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) says South Sudan currently has less than half of the money it needs to "prevent the growing food crisis from turning into a catastrophe".

"If the conflict in South Sudan continues, and more aid cannot be delivered, then by August it is likely that some localised areas of South Sudan will slip into famine," the DEC says in its report, citing international food crisis experts.

Until now they have only received £56m when they need at least £113m ($194m) for the responsive emergency work. 

"We are very concerned... that despite some excellent news coverage of the situation, public awareness of the crisis in the UK remains very low, making a successful appeal extremely difficult," said DEC head Saleh Saeed.