The number of people affected by the floods in South Sudan in recent months has reached more than one million, according to the United Nations, which has detailed that 36 counties have been affected by this catastrophe.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has indicated that these figures could increase «if the rains continue» and has detailed that the most affected areas are the states of Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Warrap, Unity and Western Equatorial. In addition, 20,000 people have been affected in Abyei, in dispute with Sudan.
«Floods and heavy rains continue to affect people across the country, including Jonglei, Lagos, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Western Bahr el Ghaza, Unity, Upper Nile, Warrap and Western Equatoria,» he stressed, before lamenting the death of people and the destruction of crop fields, homes, schools and health centers.
He also recalled that the South Sudanese government declared a national disaster in several areas and appealed for international aid, before stressing that the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund and the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) have allocated about $90 million (a similar amount in euros) during 2022.
The United Nations warned on Thursday that levels of severe food insecurity in South Sudan are at historic highs, surpassing the figures recorded during the conflict, a situation accentuated by climate change, which has caused floods and droughts in recent months in the African country.
The agency has highlighted in a statement that about two-thirds of the population, equivalent to about 7.8 million people, could suffer acute food insecurity between April and July 2023, including 1.4 million malnourished children, while noting that some communities could face famine if international humanitarian aid is not increased.
South Sudan has a unity government that got off the ground following the materialization of the peace agreement signed in 2018 by President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar, who was reappointed to the post he held before the civil war. Among the main pending points is the unification of the security forces, scheduled for November.
