Families in South Sudan's Jonglei state are increasingly relying on leaves, water lilies and other wild food sources to stay alive as worsening conflict, displacement and food shortages push parts of the country closer to famine, Save the Children warned Tuesday.
Jonglei state has been a hotspot of violence, where government troops loyal to President Salva Kiir have clashed with militias allied to his longtime rival Riek Machar.
The political elite have looted billions of dollars from the state, according to the United Nations and other agencies, leaving one of the poorest populations in the world with almost zero services or support.
"In some parts of (Jonglei), families and children are surviving on leaves and water lilies collected from swamps and seeds reserved for planting, while mothers walk for hours through floodplains to find anything edible for their children," Save the Children said in a statement.
More than 7.8 million people in South Sudan face acute hunger and parts of the country are on the brink of famine, according to the latest figures from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).
