South Sudan – Thousands Displaced by Floods as Rivers Overflow

by in Africa, News

Rivers have broken their banks in South Sudan, leaving thousands displaced by flooding.

Floods in Bor Town, Jonglei, South Sudan, August 2020. Photo: UNHCR / Komma Godfrey

In Jonglei State, the White Nile has caused flooding in Bor South, Twic East, Duk and Ayod counties. Media reports suggest over 200,000 people have been displaced. Thousands of homes have been reportedly destroyed, along with crops and livestock.

Flooding struck in Bor Town in late July when a dyke along the White Nile collapsed. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) initially reported more than 5,000 people were displaced in Bor Town, capital of the state. Since then flooding along the White Nile has affected wide areas of Twic East, Duk and Ayod counties.

Further north along the White Nile, an estimated 30,000 people have been affected by flooding in Renk County in Eastern Nile state, according to World Vision South Sudan.

Meanwhile the overflowing Akobo River which runs along the country’s border with Ethiopia has caused flooding in Pochalla County in the Greater Pibor Administrative Area. Crops have been destroyed and families displaced, according to local media.

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