The United Nations' top humanitarian official has warned the Security Council that South Sudan (a landlocked East African nation that gained independence in 2011) is on the verge of full-scale famine and governmental collapse. Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher delivered the stark assessment as armed conflict in the country intensifies and the UN's peacekeeping mission there is scaled back. The warning underscores growing fears that a convergence of violence and reduced international presence could push South Sudan into a catastrophic humanitarian crisis.