Fighting along the Nile River in South Sudan has blocked humanitarian aid from reaching over 60,000 malnourished children in the northeast for nearly a month.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and UNICEF warned that nutrition supplies for Upper Nile State are expected to run out by the end of May.
The Nile River is a crucial transport artery in South Sudan, but insecurity has forced aid barges to return.
In mid-April, barges carrying 1,000 metric tonnes of food and nutrition supplies bound for Upper Nile State were forced to turn back.
The agencies are concerned about looting and have decided against pre-positioning supplies in insecure areas.
“We have reluctantly taken the unprecedented step of holding back supplies for fear that they will not reach the children that so desperately need them,” said Obia Achieng, UNICEF’s representative.
Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP’s representative in South Sudan, added that without aid, malnutrition rates are likely to escalate in areas already at breaking point.
Upper Nile State has some of the highest rates of malnutrition in South Sudan, with over 300,000 children affected by moderate or severe malnutrition in the past year.
The situation is dire, and the WFP and UNICEF are calling for urgent action to restore aid deliveries and prevent a catastrophic outcome for the children in need.
