A Scottish aid agency has pledged £60,000 of donations to help people affected by the ongoing crisis in the world's newest country.

SCIAF has sent £30,000 of Scottish donations to South Sudan to provide emergency aid to thousands of vulnerable people who have been forced to flee their homes.

The Glasgow-based charity confirmed the money has gone to Caritas South Sudan's Emergency Appeal.

It aims to give 14,000 people food, shelter, healthcare, clean water, sanitation and emergency supplies to survive as fighting continues across the crisis-hit country.

SCIAF has also pledged a further £30,000 to partners, the Comboni Missionaries in South Sudan.

This extra money will provide emergency food aid to more than 2,000 people including those displaced by fighting in three of the worst conflict-hit communities.

South Sudan is the world's newest nation but it is also one of the poorest.

Nearly five years of conflict has forced over three million people from their homes and led to almost five million people struggling to find enough food to eat.

The UN has declared that parts of the country are now facing famine and has warned that the number of people affected will rise if there isn't quick action.

SCIAF's Director Alistair Dutton said: "The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan is deteriorating but the world seems to have forgotten about the suffering.

"Millions of people are living in constant fear and insecurity.

"They are desperately hungry and struggle to find water.

"They are also suffering mentally and physically."

Mr Dutton said the UN said 7m need emergency aid.

He added: "£60,000 of Scottish donations are being sent to help as many people as we can and we are urgently looking at what more we can do to help as the situation is only likely to get worse with heavy rains expected in the coming months.

"We make sure that money from Scotland goes to the poorest people who need it most so please keep your donations coming in so we can help even more people in crisis."

To support SCIAF's work visit www.sciaf.org.uk/emergency or call on 0141 354 5555.