In a stark appeal from Juba on 3 February 2026, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that more than 450.000 children in South Sudan are now facing the threat of acute malnutrition as a result of escalating violence in Jonglei State that has disrupted essential health and nutrition services.
The humanitarian crisis has forced the closure of 17 health facilities, halting critical nutrition programmes and leaving vital therapeutic foods in dangerously short supply in six counties struggling with insecurity and displacement.
UNICEF officials called urgently for an immediate cessation of hostilities and unrestricted humanitarian access so that aid workers can reach vulnerable and displaced populations whose lives and wellbeing are increasingly imperilled.
