Over 379,000 displaced by floods in South Sudan, UN says

JUBA – The devastating floods have displaced more than 379,000 people in South Sudan, the United Nations said on Friday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said floods have affected over 1.4 million across 43 counties and the Abyei disputed region.

The U.N. Agency also warned of a surge in malaria amid deteriorating flood conditions.

“As of 15 November, about 1.4 million people remain affected by flooding across 44 counties and the Abyei Administrative Area. More than 379,000 people are flood-displaced across 22 counties and Abyei,” said in a statement issued by Sudans Post on Saturday.

It said in Upper Nile State, recent assessments identified over 32,000 have been affected by floods in Renk County and 6,000 people in Maban County.

“In Renk and Malakal counties, humanitarian partners have reported a substantial rise in cholera cases due to inflows from Sudan, limited access to clean water and sanitation and ongoing flooding.”

South Sudan is experiencing its worst floods in 60 years.

The deluge began as early as June, swallowing up homes, farms and markets across swaths of the African nation.

The country with a population of more than 11 million people has experienced the worst floods since independence in 2011.

The current floods are due to the rise in the water level of Lake Victoria, the largest Lake in the region.

The States mostly hit hard by the floods include Jonglei, Lakes, Unity, Upper Nile and Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal and Abyei Administrative Area.

In July 2024, the cabinet approved 78 million U.S dollars under its emergency flood preparedness and response plan to mitigate the impact of looming floods on livelihoods and infrastructure across the country.

The funds are meant to enhance the country’s ability to prepare for anticipated disasters.

On October 3, 2024, the cabinet endorsed a declaration of the ongoing heavy floods as a national disaster.