The cholera crisis in South Sudan has taken a tragic turn following drastic U.S. aid cuts, with Save the Children reporting that eight individuals, including five children, died while walking for hours to reach the nearest clinic. The fatalities occurred as local health facilities closed down due to a sudden loss of funding from the United States.

This alarming development follows the decision made by U.S. President Donald Trump, who assumed office in January 2025, to significantly reduce foreign aid as part of a broader "America First" policy. The resulting budget cuts led to the cancellation of more than 90% of USAID’s contracts in South Sudan. Experts have warned that this could have deadly consequences for millions of people already struggling with diseases like cholera, tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS, in a nation with one of the world’s weakest healthcare systems.

Although the U.S. State Department stated that emergency, lifesaving programs are still in place, it expressed concern over the misuse of previous aid by South Sudanese leaders. A department spokesperson said the U.S. would not continue funding programs that, in their view, subsidize the irresponsible and corrupt behavior of the country's political leadership.

South Sudan has been battling a widespread cholera outbreak since October 2024. By the end of December, more than 13,000 cases and nearly 200 deaths were reported. In an initial response, the U.S. provided $200,000 to the World Health Organization and sent over two million Aquatab water purification tablets to assist in containing the outbreak.

However, the situation has rapidly worsened. By late January 2025, the Ministry of Health recorded over 52,000 cholera cases and more than 450 related deaths. The strain on the country’s healthcare system has reached a breaking point, with many facilities forced to shut their doors due to a lack of resources. Vulnerable communities, particularly in remote areas, now face long and often deadly journeys just to seek basic treatment.

In an effort to address the growing emergency, the European Union stepped in with an additional €1 million in humanitarian aid in February 2025, aimed at boosting case management, emergency stock supplies, and logistical coordination. But humanitarian organizations on the ground warn that more international support is urgently needed.

Christopher Nyamandi, Save the Children’s country director in South Sudan, condemned the impact of global decisions on local communities. “There should be global moral outrage that the decisions made by powerful people in other countries have led to child deaths in just a matter of weeks,” he said.

The collapse of healthcare services in South Sudan due to funding cuts has highlighted the fragility of the country’s infrastructure and the deep dependency on international aid. With the rainy season approaching—a period when cholera outbreaks typically spike—aid groups are warning that the death toll could rise even further unless funding and support are swiftly restored.