Over 1 million people affected by flooding in South Sudan: OCHA

October 20, 2024 (JUBA) – Devastating flooding caused by heavy rains in several parts of South Sudan has affected over 1 million people, the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) said.

Floods, the agency said on Friday, have so far displaced about 271,000 people in 42 of the country’s 78 counties, with 40 percent of those affected from Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Unity states.

According to the UN, unprecedented floods could affect up to 3.3 million people in South Sudan between September and December amidst fears that most areas could be rendered impassable.

Already, heavy rainfall and flooding have rendered 15 key supply routes impassable, restricting physical access, OCHA said.

South Sudan faces persistently high levels of acute food insecurity due to natural disasters like severe flooding and dry spells as well as the resultant soaring cost of food. This year, 7.1 million or about half of the country’s population are reportedly facing crisis levels of food insecurity.

This humanitarian crisis, aid agencies say, has been exacerbated by the rapid return of more than 630,000 South Sudanese citizens and some 200,000 refugees fleeing the conflict in Sudan.

(ST)