South Sudan: 380,000 people affected by heavy flooding

About 380,000 people have been affected by heavy flooding in South Sudan, where flooding rivers have forced thousands of families to leave their homes, the United Nations Agency for Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha) said on Tuesday (August 31).

Read alsoSudan: thousands of homes damaged by floods

Almost three-quarters of those affected are in two states - Unity and Jonglei - Ocha said in a briefing note, warning that "

."

"

", which complicates the delivery of humanitarian aid to the populations, the agency said.

Record flooding last year

According to a displaced person, Michael Gai, who fled with his family to Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, many residents are trapped and cannot reach safer areas.

"

" he told AFP.

"A

" he said, adding that the elderly were particularly at risk.

See also South Sudan: the president urges an end to the violence between rival factions of the vice-president's party

Rising waters triggered by early seasonal rains caused floods and inundated vast farmland, sweeping away livestock and destroying fragile traditional homes, a year after record flooding that affected some 700,000 people. About 100,000 people displaced last year have still not been able to return home, especially with the incessant rains, some land remained submerged for more than a year, according to Ocha.

In addition to the climatic hazards, South Sudan, independent since 2011, is still suffering the consequences of the five-year civil war which left nearly 400,000 dead between 2013 and 2018. The clashes, marked by ethnic massacres, rapes massive and abuses have worsened poverty and paralyzed oil production.

According to an April 2021 World Bank report, 82% of the 11 million inhabitants are poor.

The floods are seriously compromising the ability of residents to survive, Ocha's humanitarian coordinator, Arafat Jamal, recently alarmed.

SEE ALSO -

India: hundreds of thousands of people threatened by flooding