Most children born in South Sudan exposed to war are left without food and education | Global Edition

Of 3.4 million babies born in South Sudan since it's become the youngest country in the world in 2011, 2.6 million were born in the war, UNICEF said in the eve of the independence of South Sudan. Conflict and underdevelopment have plagued South Sudan for decades, leaving children out of school, malnourished and vulnerable to disease, abuse and exploitation.

The prospect of a better future after the country's independence in 2011 was ephemeral. "As South Sudan celebrates its seven years, a seemingly endless war continues to devastate the lives of millions of children," said Henrietta H. Fore, executive director of UNICEF, who visited Juba, Ganiyel and Bentiu during the war. ravaged country earlier this year. "The warring parties can and must do more to bring peace, the children of South Sudan deserve better."

Although 800 children have been released from armed groups since the beginning of the year, about 19 000 children continue to serve as combatants, cooks, porters and messengers and to suffer badual abuse. of 500 at the beginning of the conflict in 2013. The proportion of people who do not know where their next meal comes from has increased from 35% in 2014 to almost 60% at present, some parts of the country being one step away from famine especially during the lean season

Malnutrition rates are at critical levels. More than one million children are malnourished, 300,000 of them seriously and at risk of dying. The conflict has also pushed hundreds of thousands of out-of-school children, 1 in 3 schools having been damaged, destroyed, occupied or closed since 2013. South Sudan now has the highest proportion of non-schoolchildren educated in the world. More than 2 million children – more than 70% of those who should take courses – do not receive education.

Efforts to help those who need it most are also hampered. More than 100 aid workers have been killed in the violence since the beginning of the conflict in 2013, including a driver for UNICEF last week. The birth of the youngest country in the world seven years ago triggered a mbadive return of refugees to their newly independent nation.

However, since the beginning of the conflict in 2013, more than 2.5 million – including more than one million children – have fled the fighting. in South Sudan to seek security in neighboring countries. "The signing of a permanent ceasefire between the two main warring parties in Khartoum last month was a positive step in what was a staggering peace process.

We are now counting on leadership and commanders to respect it while ensuring that humanitarian workers have unrestricted access to those in need, "Fore said." South Sudan was the first country I visited when I became executive director and saw for myself how much the children were wounded by the war, they just can not bear anymore. "