South Sudan Flooding Plunges 700,000 Into Hunger, Livelihood Crisis

VOA September 29, 2020

GENEVA - The World Food Program reports unprecedented flooding in South Sudan has plunged some 700,000 people into a hunger and livelihoods crisis, made worse by ongoing violence and economic shocks due to COVID-19.

Nearly half of South Sudan is under water.  The World Food Program reports entire villages, homes, and farmlands in 36 counties are submerged.  It says the situation is particularly dire in Jonglei State, where one-third of the country’s 700,000 flood victims live.

WFP Country Director in South Sudan, Matthew Hollingworth says 85,000 people have been displaced by the flooding, which has disrupted trade routes, damaged crops, killed livestock and submerged houses.

“This flooding crisis is coming on top of a very grim hunger situation in Jonglei where already this year 1.4 million people were suffering from acute and severe hunger in addition to over 300,000 children under five who are acutely malnourished,” Hollingworth said.