South Sudan clashes block aid to 60,000 malnourished children
NAIROBI (Reuters) - Fighting along the Nile River in South Sudan has prevented humanitarian aid from reaching more than 60,000 malnourished children in the northeast of the country for almost a month, two United Nations agencies said on Thursday.
The U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP) and agency for children (UNICEF) said they expect nutrition supplies for Upper Nile State, which has some of the highest rates of malnutrition in the country, to run out by the end of May.
"Children are already the first to suffer during emergencies. If we can't get nutrition supplies through, we are likely to see escalating malnutrition in areas already at breaking point," Mary-Ellen McGroarty, WFP's representative in South Sudan, said in a joint WFP-UNICEF statement.
The Nile is a crucial transport artery in South Sudan because the impoverished country has few paved roads and a lot of challenging terrain, particularly during the rainy season when many roads become impassable.
The agencies did not say which fighting had disrupted the route of their aid barges, but government forces have been fighting an ethnic Nuer militia known as the White Army in areas near the Nile since March.
The battles led to the arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar and a spiralling political crisis, which the United Nations has warned could reignite the brutal civil war that ended in 2018.
In mid-April, barges carrying 1,000 metric tonnes of food and nutrition supplies bound for Upper Nile State were forced to return due to insecurity, WFP and UNICEF said.
The agencies decided against pre-positioning supplies in health centres and warehouses in insecure areas because they could have become targets for looting, they said.
"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, due to the ongoing fighting, looting and disruption of the river route," said Obia Achieng, UNICEF's representative.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Deadly Russian bombardment of Ukraine further dampens hopes for peace
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia struck Ukraine with a thunderous aerial bombardment overnight, further dampening hopes that the warring sides could reach a peace deal anytime soon days after Kyiv embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia. The barrage was one of the fiercest of the three-year war, lasting several hours, striking six Ukrainian territories, and killing at least six people and injuring about 80 others, Ukrainian officials said Friday. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv, one person in Lutsk and two people in Chernihiv. The attack came after U.S. President Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine's attack Sunday on Russian military airfields. It was also hours after Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. Trump's comments were a remarkable detour from his often-stated appeals to stop the war and signaled he may be giving up on recent peace efforts. Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. 'Russia doesn`t change its stripes,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The war has continued unabated even as a U.S.-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. The negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs, however, and the sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock. But the Kremlin has effectively rejected a truce and hasn't budged from its demands. 'The Kremlin continues efforts to falsely portray Russia as willing to engage in good-faith negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, despite Russia's repeated refusal to offer any concessions,' the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said late Thursday. Further peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected in coming weeks, as is another exchange of prisoners of war. The attack involved 407 Russian drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. The Kyiv emergency workers were killed while responding to the strikes. 'They were working under fire to help people,' the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Russia's Defense Ministry said it aimed at Ukrainian military targets with 'long-range precision weapons' and successfully struck arms depots, drone factories and repair facilities, among other targets. But fitting a pattern for Russian attacks throughout the war, Friday's bombardment also struck apartment buildings and other non-military targets, Associated Press reporters observed. In Kyiv, explosions were heard for hours as falling drone debris sparked fires across several districts, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. He urged people to seek shelter. Vitalina Vasylchenko, a 14-year-old Kyiv resident, sheltered in a parking garage with her 6-year-old sister and their mother after an explosion blew one of their windows off its hinges. 'I heard a buzzing sound, then my dad ran to me and covered me with his hand,' she said. 'Then there was a very loud explosion. My whole life flashed before my eyes — I already thought that was it. I started having a panic attack. ... I'm shocked that I'm alive.' In Kyiv's Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-story apartment building. Emergency services evacuated three people from the burning unit. The attack caused a blackout in some areas, and more than 2,000 households on Kyiv's eastern bank were without power, city officials said. Elsewhere, 10 people were injured by an aerial attack on the western city of Ternopil, regional governor Viacheslav Nehoda said. The strike damaged industrial and infrastructure facilities, left parts of the city without electricity, and disrupted water supplies. Russia also targeted the western Lviv and Khmelnytskyi regions, the northern Chernihiv region, and the central Poltava region, where at least three people were injured. In Russia, air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital early Friday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. As a precaution, flights at Moscow airports were temporarily suspended overnight Thursday into Friday and then again late Friday afternoon. Ukrainian drones also targeted three other regions of Russia, authorities said, damaging apartment buildings and industrial plants. Three people were injured, officials said. Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 174 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions early Friday. It added that three Ukrainian Neptune missiles were also shot down over the Black Sea. Ukraine struck airfields and other military targets in Russia, such as fuel storage tanks and transport hubs, the Ukrainian General Staff said. Also, a locomotive derailed early Friday in the Belgorod region after the track was blown up, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Russia has recently accused Ukraine of sabotaging the rail network.
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politico
Deadly Russian bombardment of Ukraine further dampens hopes for peace
KYIV, Ukraine — Russia struck Ukraine with a thunderous aerial bombardment overnight, further dampening hopes that the warring sides could reach a peace deal anytime soon days after Kyiv embarrassed the Kremlin with a surprising drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia. The barrage was one of the fiercest of the three-year war, lasting several hours, striking six Ukrainian territories, and killing at least six people and injuring about 80 others, Ukrainian officials said Friday. Among the dead were three emergency responders in Kyiv, one person in Lutsk and two people in Chernihiv. The attack came after U.S. President Donald Trump said his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, told him Moscow would respond to Ukraine's attack Sunday on Russian military airfields. It was also hours after Trump said it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia 'fight for a while' before pulling them apart and pursuing peace. Trump's comments were a remarkable detour from his often-stated appeals to stop the war and signaled he may be giving up on recent peace efforts. Ukrainian cities have come under regular bombardment since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. The attacks have killed more than 12,000 civilians, according to the United Nations. 'Russia doesn`t change its stripes,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. The war has continued unabated even as a U.S.-led diplomatic push for a settlement has brought two rounds of direct peace talks between delegations from Russia and Ukraine. The negotiations delivered no significant breakthroughs, however, and the sides remain far apart on their terms for an end to the fighting. Ukraine has offered an unconditional 30-day ceasefire and a meeting between Zelenskyy and Russian leader Vladimir Putin to break the deadlock. But the Kremlin has effectively rejected a truce and hasn't budged from its demands. 'The Kremlin continues efforts to falsely portray Russia as willing to engage in good-faith negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, despite Russia's repeated refusal to offer any concessions,' the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said late Thursday. Further peace talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected in coming weeks, as is another exchange of prisoners of war. The attack involved 407 Russian drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said. Ukrainian forces said they shot down about 30 of the cruise missiles and up to 200 of the drones. The Kyiv emergency workers were killed while responding to the strikes. 'They were working under fire to help people,' the Interior Ministry said in a statement. Russia's Defense Ministry said it aimed at Ukrainian military targets with 'long-range precision weapons' and successfully struck arms depots, drone factories and repair facilities, among other targets. But fitting a pattern for Russian attacks throughout the war, Friday's bombardment also struck apartment buildings and other non-military targets, Associated Press reporters observed. In Kyiv, explosions were heard for hours as falling drone debris sparked fires across several districts, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Administration. He urged people to seek shelter. Vitalina Vasylchenko, a 14-year-old Kyiv resident, sheltered in a parking garage with her 6-year-old sister and their mother after an explosion blew one of their windows off its hinges. 'I heard a buzzing sound, then my dad ran to me and covered me with his hand,' she said. 'Then there was a very loud explosion. My whole life flashed before my eyes — I already thought that was it. I started having a panic attack. ... I'm shocked that I'm alive.' In Kyiv's Solomyanskyi district, a fire broke out on the 11th floor of a 16-story apartment building. Emergency services evacuated three people from the burning unit. The attack caused a blackout in some areas, and more than 2,000 households on Kyiv's eastern bank were without power, city officials said. Elsewhere, 10 people were injured by an aerial attack on the western city of Ternopil, regional governor Viacheslav Nehoda said. The strike damaged industrial and infrastructure facilities, left parts of the city without electricity, and disrupted water supplies. Russia also targeted the western Lviv and Khmelnytskyi regions, the northern Chernihiv region, and the central Poltava region, where at least three people were injured. In Russia, air defenses shot down 10 Ukrainian drones heading toward the capital early Friday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. As a precaution, flights at Moscow airports were temporarily suspended overnight Thursday into Friday and then again late Friday afternoon. Ukrainian drones also targeted three other regions of Russia, authorities said, damaging apartment buildings and industrial plants. Three people were injured, officials said. Russia's Defense Ministry said that air defenses downed 174 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions early Friday. It added that three Ukrainian Neptune missiles were also shot down over the Black Sea. Ukraine struck airfields and other military targets in Russia, such as fuel storage tanks and transport hubs, the Ukrainian General Staff said. Also, a locomotive derailed early Friday in the Belgorod region after the track was blown up, Belgorod Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Russia has recently accused Ukraine of sabotaging the rail network.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Opinion - Kazakhstan's president: Strengthen the UN by modernizing multilateralism
As the United Nations marks its 80th anniversary this year, it is important to reflect on what the world's most prominent multilateral institution has achieved — and why it remains indispensable. Since its founding in 1945, the U.N. has deployed over 70 peacekeeping missions, helped stabilize conflict zones, protected civilians and delivered vital humanitarian aid to millions affected by war, famine and natural disasters. It has led major environmental efforts; ensures smooth transition towards the digital world; and remains the world's central forum for diplomacy, uniting 193 member states around peace, development and human rights. Yet this anniversary comes amid rising criticism. The U.N. faces growing scrutiny for its limited enforcement powers and frequent Security Council deadlocks due to vetoes. Concerns also persist about inequitable global governance, with developing and middle powers — especially from Africa, Asia and Latin America — underrepresented in global decision-making. Some argue that the U.N. is outdated and should be bypassed in a multipolar world. But that would be a mistake. Instead, we must modernize multilateralism to make the U.N. more responsive to regional priorities and more reflective of today's global realities. Central to this is empowering developing and middle powers to lead on regional issues — supported by the legitimacy of the U.N. system. This would amplify the voices of countries with the knowledge and stakes to act effectively, while reducing the downsides of overly centralized responses. A concrete example of this approach is the establishment of the U.N. Regional Center on Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, following the adoption of a resolution by the General Assembly on March 4. The regional center will serve as a hub for practical solutions, supporting regional cooperation on issues such as climate change, economic integration and water security. Working closely with the U.N., the regional center will empower countries in the region to address shared challenges through coordinated, results-focused action. For Kazakhstan and its neighbors, it reflects the simple truth that those who live in a region are best placed to shape peace, development and lasting progress. The center brings the Sustainable Development Goals closer to the people they're meant to serve, translating global goals into local impact. The regional center also offers a forward-looking model. Globally, the U.N. should partner with regional actors, enabling developing and middle powers to lead on locally relevant issues, whether in the Sahel, Southeast Asia or Latin America. This approach will foster a more inclusive, flexible and effective multilateral system. Developing countries and middle powers are the ones who often believe most deeply in the U.N.'s purpose. They see it as the only universal platform where all states — large and small — can speak, negotiate and build consensus. If the U.N. is to truly serve the global community, then its structures, particularly the Security Council, must be reformed to include more voices from outside the permanent five members (the U.S., the U.K., France, Russia and China). Only then can the U.N. better address the diverse and urgent regional challenges of our time. Kazakhstan, for its part, has long demonstrated its commitment to lead regionally and to act responsibly on the global stage when given the opportunity. Regionally, our country has worked to support the development and reintegration of Afghanistan. We have provided humanitarian assistance, championed educational programs for Afghan youth and pushed for the country's integration into regional trade and energy networks. We believe that stability in Afghanistan is essential to the prosperity of Central Asia. Our region cannot unlock its full potential while one of our neighbors remains isolated. This engagement must be undertaken by the countries that understand the local context working in partnership with the U.N., not from the distant desks of global bureaucracies. Globally, Kazakhstan has supported peaceful conflict resolution and responsible diplomacy. We have hosted negotiations under the Astana Process on Syria, facilitated peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan last year and consistently advocated for a diplomatic resolution to the war in Ukraine. We have also deployed peacekeeping personnel to the Golan Heights and participate in various other U.N. missions, including the Mission in South Sudan, the Truce Supervision Organization and the Interim Security Force for Abyei. We were also honored to serve as a non-permanent member of the Security Council from 2017 to 2018. I believe the U.N. can become an even more vital organization if reforms are implemented. That is why we positively assess the UN80 Initiative, launched by Secretary-General António Guterres in March, which aims to modernize and strengthen the U.N.'s operations, review outdated mandates, improve efficiency and ensure that it can respond effectively to today's global challenges. If we succeed in making the U.N. more representative, more regionally grounded and more results-focused, we will have an institution fit for the 21st century — one that can lead the charge on issues ranging from climate change and food insecurity to conflict prevention and technological governance. For its part, Kazakhstan will remain a proactive partner in these efforts. For instance, we renounced the world's fourth-largest nuclear weapons arsenal upon gaining independence in 1991 and contributed to the establishment of the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone in 2006. Since then, we have advocated globally for the elimination of nuclear weapons, including by signing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in 2018, and have promoted the peaceful use of nuclear energy. We will continue to push for a world free of nuclear weapons by the U.N.'s centenary in 2045 and to champion diplomacy, dialogue and multilateral cooperation at every level. In the spirit of this anniversary, the international community must not give up on the United Nations, but rather recommit to it, reform it and strengthen it. This universal organization is absolutely essential for humanity — there is no alternative. Working together, member states can enhance the U.N.'s authority and ensure that it delivers tangible benefits to people around the world. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has served as the president of Kazakhstan since 2019. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
