Cholera Crisis in South Sudan Following US Aid Cuts

In a tragic development, eight cholera patients, including five children, have succumbed to the disease in South Sudan while desperately seeking medical assistance. The charity organization Save the Children reported that these individuals had trekked for hours under extreme heat in search of care. The situation has been exacerbated by recent cuts in US aid, which led to the closure of several local health facilities.

These fatalities mark some of the first deaths directly attributed to the aid reductions implemented by the US administration following cuts announced shortly after President Donald Trump's inauguration. Christopher Nyamandi, the country director for Save the Children in South Sudan, stated that such decisions by powerful individuals in other countries should invoke global moral outrage, as they have resulted in the deaths of vulnerable children.

Experts have raised alarms, indicating that these aid cuts--including the termination of over 90% of USAID contracts--could lead to millions of preventable deaths from hunger, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases in the coming years. Meanwhile, the US State Department has denied having information regarding the reported deaths, asserting that many US-funded programs providing life-saving assistance remain operational in South Sudan. However, they also noted concerns that previous support for medical services had been misappropriated by the country's leadership.

Despite admitting to significant public corruption within its ranks, the South Sudanese government has denied specific allegations of bribery involving President Salva Kiir's family. Humanitarian aid is predominantly channeled through non-governmental organizations due to these corruption concerns.

Save the Children had been supporting 27 health facilities in Jonglei state until the recent US aid cuts resulted in the complete closure of seven facilities and partial closures of 20 more. Funding shortages also caused a cessation of transport services that were essential for taking patients to the main hospital in the region. Consequently, the cholera patients faced a grueling three-hour journey to the nearest medical center, where the heat reached nearly 40 degrees Celsius. Three of the deceased children were under the age of five.

In addition to the US aid cuts, gradual reductions from other donors are intensifying the humanitarian crisis in South Sudan. Save the Children has projected that it will only be able to allocate approximately $30 million to South Sudan in 2025, down from $50 million in the previous year. Over one-third of the country's 12 million residents have been displaced due to conflicts or natural disasters.

The United Nations has warned that South Sudan is on the brink of a renewed civil war following outbreaks of violence in the northeastern region earlier this year. The cholera outbreak itself was first detected last October, and the World Health Organization has reported over 22,000 cases and hundreds of deaths by March.