With 2.3 million children malnourished, South Sudan’s hunger crisis highlights the urgent need for global aid and accountability.
A new United Nations-backed report has revealed a dire humanitarian crisis in South Sudan, where nearly 2.3 million children under the age of five are expected to require treatment for acute malnutrition this year. Of these, over 700,000 are in life-threatening condition. The crisis, driven by renewed violence, climate shocks, reduced aid, and systemic corruption, has been further overshadowed by global attention on other conflicts, such as the ongoing war in Gaza.
Children on the Brink
In hospitals across South Sudan, the scenes are heartbreaking. Mothers sit beside emaciated children as health workers struggle to manage surging admissions. Action Against Hunger reports that malnutrition cases have more than doubled this year, with 22% of children admitted to Juba’s main children’s hospital succumbing to their conditions. Funding cuts have forced the closure of 28 nutrition centers, leaving families to walk for hours to access treatment. Supplies of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF), a life-saving peanut paste, are running dangerously low due to reductions in U.S. aid. UNICEF has reported that two-thirds of malnutrition treatment sites nationwide are now operating with reduced staffing.
Conflict and Access
Despite a 2018 peace deal, violence has reignited in northern states like Upper Nile, where malnutrition levels are highest. Clashes between government troops and militias have disrupted aid operations, with fighting along the White Nile in May preventing supplies from reaching 60,000 children already in crisis. Aid organizations have also been forced to abandon operations due to violence, including a bombing in May that killed seven people at a Doctors Without Borders hospital. Compounding the crisis, flooding has submerged farmland and aid sites, displacing 1.6 million people and worsening food insecurity.
Economic Collapse and Corruption
The neighboring war in Sudan has exacerbated trade disruptions, driving up the cost of staples and pushing 92% of South Sudanese below the poverty line. Families are resorting to desperate measures, such as selling cattle, pulling children out of school, or migrating in search of food. Meanwhile, corruption remains rampant. The UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan has accused officials of looting billions of dollars that could have been used to build schools, staff hospitals, and secure food supplies. Instead, these funds have fueled the country’s collapse.
Overshadowed by Global Crises
South Sudan, one of the world’s most aid-dependent nations, faces a humanitarian emergency that risks being overlooked as global attention focuses on other crises. With nine million of its 12 million people in need of assistance, the suffering of South Sudan’s youngest citizens highlights the urgent need for renewed aid and accountability. Without immediate action, an entire generation could be lost in the shadows of global indifference.
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