South Sudan flooding: A million people affected by rising waters

May Be Interested In:Munich Security Conference: Vance attack on Europe ignores Ukraine and defence agenda


Over a million people in South Sudan have been affected by floods across much of the country, the UN’s humanitarian organisation, Ocha, has said.

More than a quarter of those – many in the north – have been forced from their homes by rising waters.

Ocha said the displaced were seeking refuge on higher ground, but the rains have also meant that getting aid to those who need it had become increasingly difficult.

This is one of the worst flood seasons that South Sudan – a country with a population of more than 11 million people – has experienced in recent decades.

In Pibor, in the east, 112,000 people have lost their homes, according to a government relief agency there.

Those who have fled to higher ground “don’t even have food, they left everything in that previous location”, Joseph Nyao, director of Relief and Rehabilitation told the BBC from Pibor.

He added that the government was urging people in areas threatened by floods to “immediately move to higher grounds that have been identified by local authorities for their safety”.

“The level of water is still increasing and the displacement is continuing.”

In May, the government alerted the international community to the risk of exceptional floods that were expected to hit the country in the subsequent months.

Ocha said that since the rains began 15 major supply routes have been rendered impassable, affecting the delivery of essential humanitarian aid to some 500,000 people in different parts of the country.

This all comes as South Sudan continues to deal with the impact of the 18-month civil war in neighbouring Sudan.

More than half a million Sudanese refugees and returnees from South Sudan have been registered in South Sudan since April last year.

South Sudan, already in the throes of a worsening humanitarian situation, is seeing its ability to respond become further overstretched, Ocha warned.

share Share facebook pinterest whatsapp x print

Similar Content

Florida braces for potentially 'unsurvivable' Hurricane Helene
Florida braces for potentially ‘unsurvivable’ Hurricane Helene
Drones, threats and explosions: Why Korean tensions are rising
Drones, threats and explosions: Why Korean tensions are rising
Hong Kong: A decade of protest is now a defiant memory
Hong Kong: A decade of protest is now a defiant memory
China calls Trump tariffs 'discriminatory' in WTO complaint
China calls Trump tariffs ‘discriminatory’ in WTO complaint
Scientists sure warming world made Spain's storm more intense
Scientists sure warming world made Spain’s storm more intense
Biden agrees to give Ukraine anti-personnel mines
Biden agrees to give Ukraine anti-personnel mines

Leave a Reply

Breaking the Silence: Stories That Matter | © 2024 | Daily News