According to the UN, around 760,000 people are affected by floods in South Sudan. Persistent heavy rain over the past six months has caused rivers to overflow in eight of the country’s ten states, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (Ocha) said on Wednesday. In order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe, more international aid is needed for the country.
“Additional funding, logistical support for the transport of relief supplies and assistance with the repair of dikes to prevent further flooding are urgently needed,” said Ocha. The organization had already warned of a shortage of relief supplies in September. Of the 1.4 billion euros pledged by the international community for UN programs in the country, only 54 percent have still been paid in, according to the latest information.
Violent conflicts drive people to flight
The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) called the floods last month the worst since 1962 and blamed climate change for it. Particularly problematic is that there have been severe floods for three years in a row.
In addition, there is the already tense situation in South Sudan, where violent conflicts in some parts of the country had previously driven tens of thousands of people to flight. According to the World Bank, around 80 percent of the eleven million South Sudanese live in “absolute poverty”. Almost two thirds of the population suffer from severe hunger.