AT LEAST 1.6 million children in South Sudan could suffer from malnutrition by 2024, according to a United Nations agency statement on Monday.

The warning from the World Food Programme (WFP) came as the UN security council was told that the conflict taking place in neighbouring Sudan could spill over to add to the humanitarian crisis facing the country.

The WFP said that the climate emergency was having a devastating impact on the region and was leading to worsening health conditions for the whole population but hitting children under the age of five the hardest.