--to deadly violence in Sudan and its ripple effect
in the region affecting critical aid that is meant
for millions facing hunger.
World News Tonight anchor David Muir was in South Sudan
when the deadly violence broke out in the north,
and he's here now for the first look at his report.
And I can only imagine what you witnessed firsthand, David.
Just incredibly dire, Robin, George, Eva.
Great to be with you here this morning.
As you all know, this is a region that knows war.
But we were on the ground to report
on a very different battle.
They're now in a real fight there against climate change.
We were in South Sudan, and you're
about to see what we witnessed-- more
than a million people, families and children in dire need
right now.
This morning here, our first look.
We land in South Sudan where we are
told there is an urgent effort to get
to more than a million people in desperate need because
of climate.
The UN trucks waiting.
We head out with the World Food Program,
traveling down the only road in, carrying aid from Sudan.
Mud walls holding the water back.
And then the only way to get to so many of the families here
is by boat.
Climate change making the extremes
here only more extreme.
Four years in a row now of historic floods, waters
unable to recede.
This is a very common sight here after four
years of relentless rains.
This is a tiny piece of land completely
surrounded by the waters here, an island in and of itself.
And these are the families that have stayed behind to continue
to raise their children here.
And what do they feed the children here
with no land to farm anymore?
We are told the water lilies.
A mother in the distance.
The haunting sound, the coughing, to determine
work in stagnant, dangerous floodwater.
Reaching down to pull out the water lilies and their bulbs.
It is what they do for their children.
Mothers are feeding their children water lilies.
Unfortunately, they are.
It is a coping mechanism because they do not have enough food.
How do they get any food when they're
completely surrounded by water?
That is a biggest challenge that they are facing here,
the availability of food.
Before they had land where they could cultivate food, but now
they are completely cut off.
DAVID MUIR: Families cut off with no livestock.
This used to be farmland before the floods.
The livestock.
It's impossible to know just how much has been lost.
You can see they're nothing but skin and bones, these cows
here.
And when there is no food, there is sickness.
We learn of the children on the edge of starvation.
The hospital in Bentiu.
[BABY SCREAMING]
The children here who need help.
And the young mother, her baby just 40 days old
weighing less than 4 pounds.
You must be relieved that your baby is doing much better.
[NON-ENGLISH SPEECH]
She's saying yes.
DAVID MUIR: Yes, she says, her newborn son and his tiny grip
a sign of hope.
That baby's strengthening grip proof
that nutritional aid really does make all the difference.
This morning, that deadly fighting in Sudan
to the north that broke out while we
were there in the region showing no signs of stopping.
The World Food Program telling us
overnight that that critical route from Sudan remains
halted.
We witnessed the last convoy to arrive.
7,000 tons of aid stuck in a war zone.
This is really critical.
And tonight we're going to show everyone
at home how you can make a difference
with something as simple-- - Something simple as that.
--as this. Yeah.
ROBIN ROBERTS: Could not have been easy getting there, David.
DAVID MUIR: Yeah.
In fact, when we were trying to get out as war was taking place
in Sudan, which obviously continues as we sit here
this morning, they had to fly us to Ethiopia
and around the region, up to Dubai and then back
to New York City.
The flight had been canceled because obviously
the airlines didn't want to fly over the region.
Just incredible.
This is something that's very--
I can see it in your eyes, it's very important to you.
It is.
And I know people at home, we have a lot that's
overwhelming in this day and age,
but I do think that they have a tool here
in abcnews.com, right on our home page,
how you can really make a difference.
And look at that little baby.
The grip, 40 days old, just a little more than a month
old, and they could see within three days
that baby growing stronger already.
Yeah.
There's so many stories to report, it's not either/or,
it's and. It's not choosing.
Absolutely.
ROBIN ROBERTS: All right, David, we'll see you tonight.
Thank you so much.