South Sudan faces severe food crisis as families resort to eating leaves for survival

Families and children in South Sudan are being forced to eat leaves to survive, according to Save the Children, which has highlighted a severe food crisis in the country. South Sudan, which gained independence from Sudan in 2011, has been plagued by deadly conflicts. Recent months have seen an escalation of fighting in several regions between government forces loyal to South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and opposition militias aligned with his rival, former Vice President Riek Machar. In parts of Jonglei State, particularly affected by the violence, families and children are surviving on leaves, water lilies gathered from swamps, and seeds originally intended for planting. Mothers are reportedly walking for hours through floodplains to find any edible items for their children. The South Sudanese government acknowledged in late April that nearly two-thirds of its population, 7.9 million out of 12 million inhabitants, were at risk of severe food insecurity. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced by the fighting in the world's youngest country, which is also one of the poorest despite significant oil reserves, and one of the most corrupt. Chris Nyamandi, Save the Children's Country Director in South Sudan, warned that the situation could worsen as the rainy season has just begun, making this year more dangerous due to insecurity impacting food production. The NGO also noted that the crisis has led many children, weakened by hunger, to drop out of school, with some