South Sudanese children are suffering the effects of mass malnutrition, and foreign aid agencies are struggling to keep up. On July 14, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) announced “shocking” levels of child starvation in South Sudan, reporting that at least 13,500 children have been admitted to the organization’s feeding programs.

South Sudan’s mounting civil crises have erupted into violence in recent months, which interferes with farmers’ ability to grow crops and provide food for communities. Agricultural infrastructure has been destroyed and crop planting has been widely disrupted or halted. These factors exacerbate the already-present food shortages and force displaced residents to share scarce resources.

Yet even in this time of dire need, seven major international food aid organizations–all of which focus primarily on South Sudan–are at risk of shutting down due to lack of funding. And the UN’s most recent request for food aid in South Sudan is less than half-funded. The UN requires at least $1.8 billion to make an impact on the malnutrition epidemic, but the seven agencies are short in funds by $89 million. If funding and food aid for South Sudan doesn’t increase soon, the UN warns that as many as 50,000 children could die by the year’s end.

“We will be staring into the abyss and failing to avert famine if funds do not start arriving soon,” said Mark Goldring, chief executive of Oxfam, in a report conducted by CARE International. “This is not a crisis caused by drought or flood. It is a political crisis turned violent… Mainly we are calling on governments to fund the aid effort before it is too late.”

The malnutrition crisis in South Sudan is a product of civil strife and contentious domestic politics. Since fighting began, 1.5 million South Sudanese have been displaced from their homes, thereby interfering with dependable access to food and water. Both of the parties fighting have also refused to respect a ceasefire agreement signed in January, leading authorities to report that nearly four million South Sudanese remain at risk of famine this year.

But while solving South Sudan’s political problems will help avert further violence, the most pressing priority for aid workers is now the nutritional needs of South Sudanese children. Many of these children are starving, and travel for days to reach MSF facilities. Others remain hiding in the bush, surviving off swamp water and roots.

Malnutrition is of course a threat in itself. But the three leading causes of death in South Sudan–malaria, diarrhea and respiratory infections–are also much more easily contracted by malnourished people. This compounds the dangers of the massive shortage of aid in the region.

“The United States’ monetary aid to the region is complicated because they don’t trust the South Sudanese government,” said Dr. Jenny Bell, a medical worker with a focus on South Sudan. “Because of this, they’ve shifted everything to humanitarian aid, and all the development efforts have been wiped out.”

Although humanitarian aid is always welcome, monetary aid is crucial to obtaining necessary medicines and nutritional requirements for malnourished children. Hopefully the global community will be able to meet the UN’s funding appeals before the situation in South Sudan plummets any further.

– Mari LeGagnoux

Sources: IPS News, All Africa
Photo: Unocha