"Hunger crisis intensifies in South Sudan: Increased corruption, reduced aid, and widespread violence contribute to high child mortality rates"
In South Sudan, the situation is growing increasingly dire as malnutrition cases skyrocket, humanitarian access is restricted, and corruption continues to plague the country.
The hospital in Maban County, near the northern border with Sudan, has not received a major consignment of supplementary milk since March, leaving children like Moussa Adil crying with hunger. Meanwhile, in Bor, malnutrition cases have more than doubled, with Adut Duor, a 14-month-old boy, suffering from severe acute malnutrition, rendering him unable to walk.
The United Nations projects that about 2.3 million children under 5 in South Sudan now require treatment for acute malnutrition, with over 700,000 in severe condition. Shockingly, this number includes approximately 1.1 million pregnant and lactating women.
The flooding in South Sudan poses a significant health risk due to poor sanitation and contaminated water, further exacerbating the malnutrition crisis. Combined with soaring inflation, 92% of South Sudanese live below the poverty line, a 12% increase from last year, according to the African Development Bank.
The neighboring war in Sudan has disrupted trade and driven up the cost of basic goods in South Sudan, adding to the economic woes. The violence in South Sudan's northern states has blocked humanitarian access and driven hundreds of thousands from their farmland.
U.N. supplies did not reach the Upper Nile State for over a month in May, affecting more than 60,000 malnourished children. Funding cuts have forced aid organizations like Save the Children to lay off staff, including nutrition workers, and have reduced supplies of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF).
The U.N. Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan recently said billions of dollars had been lost to corruption, as public officials diverted revenue. Critics say years of aid dependence have exposed South Sudan, with the government allocating just 1.3% of its budget to health, far below the 15% target set by the World Health Organization.
The situation is particularly dire in Maban's camps near the Sudan border, where refugees report that WFP cash and dry food handouts no longer cover basic needs. The hospital in Maban County, where Moussa Adil cries with hunger, has also been affected by U.S. funding cuts, forcing international aid groups to reduce support and leaving the nutritionist, Butros Khalil, and dozens of colleagues unpaid for six months.
The situation is further complicated by renewed clashes between the national army and militia groups in South Sudan, raising fears of a return to large-scale conflict. Ayan, Adut's mother, couldn't breastfeed him due to her own malnutrition.
Khalil describes the exorbitant cost of living as making it impossible to feed his 20-person family. The halt of school feeding by Action Against Hunger after U.S. funding was withdrawn has raised fears of children slipping from moderate to dangerous hunger levels. The crisis in South Sudan is a complex web of interrelated issues, but one thing is clear: urgent action is needed to address the malnutrition crisis and ensure the survival of the most vulnerable.
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