Otamere Gladness 
UNICEF ambassador Liam Neeson visits a hospital in Juba, warning of worsening child malnutrition amid global aid cuts.
ABUJA, Nigeria – UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, Liam Neeson, has raised alarm over the worsening humanitarian crisis facing children in South Sudan, following his six-day visit to the conflict-torn country amid sharp global aid cuts.
Speaking at Juba’s main hospital on Sunday, Neeson described the scale of child malnutrition as “heartbreaking and unacceptable.”
“I visited the main referral hospital in Juba and was deeply saddened by seeing so many malnourished children,” Neeson said. “They are hauntingly quiet when they should be laughing. With treatment sites closing around the country, I ask myself what will happen to those children?”
According to UNICEF, an estimated 2.3 million children in South Sudan are suffering from severe malnutrition, with nearly half at risk of death without urgent medical support.
During his visit, the actor met mothers and children at nutrition centres and spoke with young people affected by child marriage and gang recruitment. He praised local volunteers who identify and refer malnourished children for treatment, calling them “heroes in silence.”
Neeson also lauded Alaal Kuku, a former gang member and founder of the Young Dreamers Sports Academy, which supports over 2,000 children weekly through sports, with UNICEF’s backing.
UNICEF Country Representative, Noala Skinner, warned that funding cuts have reduced the number of social workers from 25 to less than five per 100,000 children.
“Against a backdrop of declining foreign assistance, UNICEF is grateful to partners that continue to support the children of South Sudan,” Skinner said.
Neeson urged world leaders to act swiftly, warning that withdrawing aid risks erasing years of progress.
“We either stand with them now,” he said, “or watch their future slip away.”
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Hussaini Ibrahim