Severe flooding affects over 1 million in South Sudan

JUBA | Xinhua |  Over one million people have been affected by severe flooding across South Sudan, the United Nations (UN) humanitarian agency has said.

In its update on floods released on Thursday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also noted that nearly 355,000 people have been displaced across 18 counties as of Oct. 30, with many seeking refuge on higher ground.

OCHA said the severe flooding, resulting in widespread destruction of homes, farmland, and critical infrastructure, is also exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation in the country, which faces ongoing conflict and acute food insecurity.

The UN agency said agricultural losses are extensive, with inundated crop fields devastating harvests and livestock pastures washed away or waterlogged, further worsening food insecurity.

“Reports indicate acute malnutrition among children under five and pregnant and lactating women, alongside rising cases of diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia, and cholera,” OCHA said.

It said that while floodwaters have begun to recede in some areas and families are returning home, many find their houses destroyed, basic services unavailable, and livelihoods lost.

Early this month, Save the Children, a global charity, warned that the sixth year of widespread flooding coupled with aid cuts is worsening the hunger crisis in South Sudan, adding that the dire situation has forced newly arrived refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan to resort to foraging for food and eating leaves to survive. ■