U.N. says 50,000 children face death in South Sudan as launches aid plan

JUBA (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of children in South Sudan could die this year without assistance from aid agencies, the United Nations said on Saturday, as it appealed for more than $1 billion to help those hit by six months of civil war.

Fighting that erupted in December has driven 1.5 million people from their homes, and seven million were at risk of starvation and disease, said Toby Lanzer, U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan.