Wed Apr 09 07:22:21 UTC 2025: ## US Aid Cuts Blamed for Deaths of Children in South Sudan Cholera Outbreak
**JUBA, South Sudan** – Eight people, including five children, have died in South Sudan after walking for hours in extreme heat to seek treatment for cholera. The deaths, reported by Save the Children, are directly attributed to the closure of local health clinics resulting from US aid cuts under the Trump administration’s “America First” policy.
The UK-based charity had supported 27 health centers in Jonglei State. US funding cuts forced seven to close completely and severely hampered operations at twenty others, resulting in the layoff of approximately 200 staff. A US-funded patient transport service was also eliminated, leaving cholera sufferers with no option but to walk for hours in temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius.
Christopher Nyamandi, Save the Children’s country director in South Sudan, condemned the situation, stating, “There should be global moral outrage that the decisions made by powerful people in other countries have led to child deaths in just a matter of weeks.”
While the US State Department denied knowledge of the deaths and maintained that some US-funded programs remain operational, they cited corruption within the South Sudanese government as a reason for reduced funding. A spokesperson stated that the US would not “subsidize the irresponsible and corrupt behaviour of South Sudan’s political leaders.”
The situation is further exacerbated by declining contributions from other donors and a cholera outbreak that has affected approximately 40,000 people since last October, with over 700 deaths. More than a third of South Sudan’s population is displaced due to conflict and natural disasters, raising concerns of a potential new civil war. The ongoing crisis underscores the devastating consequences of reduced international aid on vulnerable populations.
First Piper 