South Sudan Faces Worst Floods In Decades

A Flooded Village in Pibor State. (Flickr)

The country of South Sudan has experienced severe flooding for the past three years, though the last six months have brought some of the worst flooding yet. The unrelenting heavy rains have affected more than 700,000 people, forcing thousands to flee and pushing many to the brink of starvation.

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative Arafat Jamal stated that the country “has not seen flooding of this extent since 1962.” The effects of the flooding are exacerbated in drought-stricken areas where the ground could not absorb enough water.

Although at least 20 deaths have been reported due to drowning since the flooding began, the actual death toll is likely higher, as only one of the four most heavily-affected states has reported a confirmed number of deaths. Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), explained, “Access is a major challenge…  with most of the flood-affected areas inaccessible by road, and the transport of aid by air is very costly.”

The South Sudanese government has struggled to respond to the crisis due to the high cost of relief efforts, and it has only provided $10 million in response to the flooding. The UN has not provided adequate aid to those affected by the floods; Laerke described how states have met “only 61 percent of this year’s UN $1.7 billion South Sudan appeal.” 

The situation has been complicated by the aftermath of South Sudan’s five-year civil war, leaving displaced persons in danger of ethnic violence. South Sudanese Director for the World Food Project Matthew Hollingworth detailed how challenges will arise “as people are displaced into areas where there are not necessarily sufficient resources to look after them as well as the resident community.”                    

UNHCR points to climate change when assessing the severity of the flooding. A joint report between the U.N. and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) describes how climate change has already contributed to more frequent occurrences of extreme weather throughout Africa. Jean-Paul Adam, one of the report’s co-authors, explained that Africa “is warming more and at a faster rate than the global average.”

The WMO report predicts that such extreme weather events will continue to increase in frequency even if drastic action is taken to combat climate change. In South Sudan, this means more prolonged periods of drought punctuated by ever-more severe flooding.