South Sudan Cholera Deaths Linked to US Aid Cuts, Save the Children Reports

Cholera Outbreak and Aid Cuts

• 💔 Eight people in South Sudan died from cholera last month while attempting a three-hour walk to seek medical treatment.
• 🌍 The UK-based charity Save the Children attributes these deaths directly to US aid cuts imposed by former President Donald Trump.
• 🏥 These cuts allegedly forced local health services to close, leaving patients with no nearby medical facilities.

Impact on Health Services

• 📉 Save the Children reported a significant reduction in funding from various donors, but the US funding cuts were described as particularly drastic.
• 🚫 The charity had to halt services and activities that were already secured and being implemented due to the funding withdrawal.
• 📉 The US cutbacks led to the closure of seven out of 27 supported health facilities completely, with 20 others closing partially.

Broader Health Concerns

• ⚠️ Experts warn that these cuts, including the cancellation of over 90% of USAID contracts, could result in millions of deaths from malnutrition, AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and other diseases in the coming years.
• 🗣️ Save the Children's South Sudan country director called for global moral outrage over child deaths resulting from decisions made by powerful individuals in other countries.

Government and Corruption Allegations

• 🚫 The US State Department stated they had no information on the reported deaths but noted that some US government programs remain active.
• 💰 A spokesperson for the State Department suggested that medical service support had also been used to enrich the country's leaders.
• ⚖️ South Sudan's government has acknowledged significant public corruption but denied specific accusations of graft.

Humanitarian Crisis in South Sudan

• 👥 Over a third of South Sudan's approximately 12 million people have been displaced due to conflict or natural disasters.
• ⚔️ The country is also facing the threat of a new civil war following fighting that broke out in February.
• 📈 An existing cholera outbreak, declared last October, has already caused hundreds of deaths.