JUBA, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- An upsurge in violent clashes in South Sudan's Jonglei State since the beginning of 2026 has left over 450,000 children at risk of acute malnutrition, as hostilities have halted critical health and nutrition services, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.

Students queue to wash their hands at the courtyard of a school in Port Sudan city, eastern Sudan, on Feb. 26, 2025. (Photo by Fayez Elzaki/Xinhua)

UNICEF said 17 health facilities have been closed due to ongoing conflict, with associated nutrition services suspended.

"We are urgently calling for all parties to cease the violence and grant rapid, unimpeded and safe access for humanitarian aid and workers to reach highly vulnerable, displaced groups," UNICEF Representative in South Sudan Noala Skinner said in a statement issued in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.

UNICEF said six counties in Jonglei already have or are close to stock-outs of therapeutic foods, a lifesaving commodity for severely malnourished children.

The violence has reportedly left at least 250,000 people displaced, especially in the north and center of the state, forcing families to flee their homes in search of safety and significantly deepening protection risks across affected communities, the UN agency said.

According to UNICEF, access to emergency aid has been severely hampered, as humanitarian agencies are unable to reach vulnerable populations due to restrictions on travel by river, air and road.

The UN agency said it has already dispatched water purification equipment, buckets and soap to Duk County in Jonglei, where there are concerns over a cholera outbreak.