Juba: Over one million people have been affected by severe flooding across South Sudan, the United Nations (UN) humanitarian agency has said. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that nearly 355,000 individuals have been displaced across 18 counties as of October 30, with many seeking refuge on higher ground due to the rising waters.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the severe flooding has led to widespread destruction of homes, farmland, and critical infrastructure, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian situation in South Sudan, which is grappling with ongoing conflict and acute food insecurity. The UN agency highlighted the extensive agricultural losses, with crop fields inundated, devastating harvests, and livestock pastures either washed away or waterlogged, further worsening the food insecurity crisis.

OCHA has reported alarming levels of acute malnutrition, particularly among children under five and pregnant and lactating women. There is also a rise in cases of diarrhea, malaria, pneumonia, and cholera. Although floodwaters have started to recede in some regions, families returning home often find their houses destroyed, basic services unavailable, and their livelihoods wiped out.

Earlier this month, Save the Children, a global charity, raised concerns that the combination of six consecutive years of widespread flooding and recent aid cuts is intensifying the hunger crisis in South Sudan. The charity noted that the dire situation has forced newly arrived refugees fleeing conflict in Sudan to resort to foraging for food and consuming leaves to survive.