U.N. reopens Nile route to bring aid to hunger-hit South Sudan

A Sudanese girl from the war-torn Blue Nile state collects water from a muddy pond, in order to avoid a 12-hour wait at a water pump, in South Sudan's Doro refugee camp December 10, 2011. REUTERS/Hereward Holland

NAIROBI (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday it had begun delivering food aid to war-torn South Sudan via the Nile River from Sudan for the first time since it became independent in 2011, warning the country could face a "hunger catastrophe".

The corridor, through an area of high military activity, will reduce reliance on expensive airplane and helicopter deliveries, which cost six to seven times as much as river and road transport, according to the World Food Programme (WFP).