Malnutrition soars in South Sudan as 2.3 million children face hunger
A surge in acute malnutrition has put 2.3 million children under five at risk in South Sudan, Save the Children has warned, as new data shows the number of people facing the most extreme level of hunger has doubled in just over six months.
According to the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC), a global authority on the severity of hunger crises, 57 per cent of the population is now living in crisis levels of acute hunger or worse, up from 47 per cent, driven by conflict, climate change, poverty and recent foreign aid cuts.
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"Children are always the most vulnerable in food crises and without enough to eat and the right nutritional balance, they are at high risk of becoming acutely malnourished," Save the Children said.
Save the Children reported that the number of acutely malnourished children had increased from 2.1 million to 2.3 million within months, marking a 10.5 per cent rise and representing an additional 218,000 children.
The organisation said children were the most vulnerable during food crises and warned that without proper nutrition, they faced stunting, impaired physical and mental development, and a greater risk of deadly diseases.
Out of 80 counties surveyed, Save the Children said that 62 — or 78 per cent — showed a general deterioration in acute malnutrition levels.
The organisation also noted that a lack of food, inadequate medical supplies, and outbreaks of diseases such as cholera had contributed to the worsening conditions.
Cholera outbreaks have compounded the crisis. Save the Children reported that at least five children died on the way to seek treatment after local health services shut down due to aid cuts.
The organisation also warned that 110,000 severely acutely malnourished children across ten countries, including South Sudan, could lose access to life-saving food in the coming months.
Chris Nyamandi, Save the Children’s Country Director in South Sudan, said the situation was life-shattering for children.
"When there is a lack of food, children’s bodies become a battleground. The impacts of malnutrition – stunting, impeded mental and physical development, and increased risk of contracting deadly diseases – can be life-shattering," stated Chris Nyamandi, Save the Children's Director, South Sudan.
“These latest figures are a cry to donors: please, see what happens to children when you let humanitarian crises take hold. Please, don’t leave the children of South Sudan behind. This is about survival for today – but it is also about hope for tomorrow, to build a better world.”
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