Gov’t approves $10 million relief fund for floods victims

JUBA – A meeting of South Sudan cabinet ministers chaired by President Salva Kiir Mayardit on Friday approved $10 million as an emergency relief package to support over 400,000 people affected by floods in seven states across the country.

An estimated 400,000 people have been affected and displaced since May 2021, according to the latest report by the UN.

The United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) recently revealed people worst affected by floods are in Jonglei, and Unity, Warrap, Pibor Administrative areas, and Lakes followed by Northern Bahr-el-Ghazal and Upper Nile States.

The floods destroyed homes, agricultural fields and forced families and their livestock to higher grounds.

Speaking to reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting in Juba on Friday, Information Minister Michael Makuei Lueth said the packages approved by cabinet aim to deal with the immediate aftermath of flooding.

“This budget was approved by the cabinets and the Minister of Humanitarian was directed to continue to monitor all the areas affected by floods especially in Upper Nile where most of the lands are covered by water, most of the counties are under water,” Makuei said.

Makuei disclosed the flood has badly affected people, leaving them with nothing rather than clothes on their backs.

“The people who are displaced are very much affected by floods and after the floods have subsided they need to be resettled in their areas of origin because they don’t have anything at present and all that they need is to be rescued now,” he said.

The Minister revealed that the money will be implemented in three phases starting with emergency aid.

“They will implement the project in three phases. Phase one with emergency. They need to supply emergency equipment to people who are affected by the floods. Phase two is intervention after flooding and phase three is restoration of livelihood,” he added.

Many areas of South Sudan, particularly in northern and north-central states, are prone to flooding during the rainy season that runs from April to October.

Last year, the rainy season has been particularly devastating for many areas of the country, with the UN

The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that at least 850,000 people have been impacted and more than 389,000 displaced by flooding in areas along the Nile River since July.