Families in South Sudan's Jonglei state are increasingly relying on leaves, water lilies and other wild food sources to stay alive as worsening conflict, displacement and food shortages push parts of the country closer to famine, Save the Children warned Tuesday.
Jonglei state has been a hotspot of violence, where government troops loyal to President Salva Kiir have clashed with militias allied to his longtime rival Riek Machar.
The political elite have looted billions of dollars from the state, according to the United Nations and other agencies, leaving one of the poorest populations in the world with almost zero services or support.
"In some parts of (Jonglei), families and children are surviving on leaves and water lilies collected from swamps and seeds reserved for planting, while mothers walk for hours through floodplains to find anything edible for their children," Save the Children said in a statement.
More than 7.8 million people in South Sudan face acute hunger and parts of the country are on the brink of famine, according to the latest figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
"This year is more dangerous than the other years. Insecurity is impacting food cultivation," Tabisa Ajer, 31, a health worker at Bor hospital in Jonglei, was quoted as saying by Save the Children.
About 2.2 million children under five require treatment for acute malnutrition, including nearly 700,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition, according to the IPC.
Save the Children said extreme hunger has forced thousands of children out of school, with many pushed into child labour and early marriage.
The charity has withdrawn some programmes after armed gang attacks and vandalism of its facilities.
"International aid cuts continue to disproportionately impact those most vulnerable in one of the world's most fragile states," its country director, Chris Nyamandi said in the statement.
"This situation can be prevented and mitigated, before more children suffer," he added.
South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 but soon descended into civil war and remains mired in extreme poverty, corruption and insecurity.
