Five children are among eight people who died in South Sudan after a harrowing three-hour journey on foot in extreme heat to seek cholera treatment — a tragedy now being directly linked to U.S. aid cuts enacted under former President Donald Trump’s “America First” agenda.
According to Save the Children, the UK-based charity that had supported health facilities in the affected area, the patients — including three children under the age of five — were forced to walk to the nearest hospital after U.S.-funded transport services were halted and nearby clinics shuttered due to budget reductions.
“There should be global moral outrage that decisions made by powerful people in other countries have led to child deaths in just a matter of weeks,” said Christopher Nyamandi, the charity’s country director in South Sudan.
Trump’s aid reductions began shortly after his return to office on January 20, 2025, as part of a broader reshaping of U.S. foreign assistance policy. Over 90% of USAID’s contracts in the region have been canceled, affecting efforts to fight diseases like cholera, malaria, and tuberculosis, as well as malnutrition.
The U.S. State Department said it was not aware of the specific deaths reported but defended its shift in funding priorities. A spokesperson emphasized that while emergency programs are still operating, the U.S. would not “subsidize the irresponsible and corrupt behavior of South Sudan’s political leaders.”
The spokesperson added: “Support for medical services has also been used to enrich the country’s leaders.”
South Sudan’s government has previously admitted to widespread corruption, though it has denied specific allegations involving President Salva Kiir’s family.
Aid groups, including Save the Children, often bypass the government and work directly with communities, in part to avoid corruption. Until earlier this year, the charity supported 27 health facilities in eastern Jonglei State. Now, only a handful remain functional.
With transportation services also unfunded, the eight cholera patients had no choice but to walk in 40°C (104°F) heat, which proved fatal.
The impact of the aid cuts has been compounded by declining contributions from other international donors. Save the Children plans to spend $30 million in South Sudan this year — a sharp drop from $50 million in 2024.
Humanitarian Crisis Deepens
Public health experts warn that millions could die over the coming years as lifesaving aid programs dry up across vulnerable regions. Diseases long under control risk resurging, and local healthcare systems, already fragile, are expected to collapse without sustained international support.
Save the Children called on donor nations to urgently restore funding and prioritize children’s health amid escalating needs in South Sudan and other conflict-affected areas.
“These deaths were preventable,” Nyamandi said. “No child should die walking to a hospital.”
