Conflict Blocks Aid for 60,000 Malnourished Children in South Sudan

Fighting along the Nile River in South Sudan has blocked humanitarian aid from reaching more than 60,000 malnourished children in the northeastern Upper Nile state for nearly a month. The World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF warn that nutrition supplies, critical for treating moderate and severe malnutrition, are expected to run out by the end of May, potentially halting life-saving treatment programs. The Nile River serves as a vital transport corridor in South Sudan, where poor road infrastructure and rainy season conditions hinder land access, making river routes essential for aid delivery. Conflict between government forces and the ethnic Nuer militia known as the White Army has disrupted barge deliveries, with insecurity forcing the return of 1,000 metric tonnes of supplies in mid-April. Aid agencies have refrained from pre-positioning supplies in insecure areas due to the risk of looting, further complicating relief efforts. The ongoing violence has also sparked a political crisis, raising fears of a resurgence of civil war that ended in 2018, exacerbating the humanitarian situation and threatening to worsen malnutrition and food insecurity in an already vulnerable region.