Continued armed violence along the Nile River in South Sudan has complicated humanitarian support, impacting over 60,000 malnourished children in Upper Nile State who have not received life-saving nutrition support in almost a month. The World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF expressed serious concern that if humanitarian access is not restored quickly, nutrition supplies are likely to deplete by the end of May and worsen the malnutrition situation in one of South Sudan’s most affected areas.
Conflict and Logistical Challenges:
The Nile River serves as an important transport route in South Sudan especially in the rainy season when the roads become untouchable. However, recent confrontations between the government and the Nuer ethnic-militia White Army have put this route at risk. In mid-April, barges carrying 1,000 metric tonnes of food and nutrition supplies on their way to the Upper Nile State had to turn back because of deteriorating insecurity.
Humanitarian Concerns and Response:
UN agencies have refrained from pre-positioning supplies in health centers and warehouses within insecure areas, fearing they could become targets for looting. “We have reluctantly taken the unprecedented step of holding back supplies for fear that they will not reach South Sudan,” said Obia Achien.
Broader Implications:
Amid political disarray in the context of the recent arrest of the First Vice President, the ongoing crisis is accompanied by fears over the return of the civil war which ended. In addition, South Sudan faces challenges associated with climate-induced disasters (floods and drought) placing even more pressure on the country’s already thin infrastructure and food insecurity.
Urgent Call for Action:
Humanitarian groups are calling on all actors in the conflict to allow safe and unimpeded access for humanitarian deliveries. Given a continued lack of immediate action, the lives of tens of thousands of children are at immediate risk, and the region is likely to encounter a catastrophic increase in malnutrition and mortality rates.
