Refugees, South Sudanese locals flee their homes, gather together on little islands of dry ground, says UNHCR official
Unprecedented heavy flooding has hit South Sudan’s Maban County, affecting roughly 200,000 people, including refugees and the host population, a report by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on Friday.
Located in the Upper Nile State, the affected area is home to over 150,000 refugees from neighboring Sudan, according to the UNHCR’s official website.
“Refugees and South Sudanese locals fled their homes, carrying their belongings and [were] seen gathering together on little islands of dry ground,” Adan Ilmi, the UNHCR representative to South Sudan, was quoted as saying in the report.
“Flood waters have submerged, making access to the refugee camps difficult for humanitarians. Schools in the region also remain closed,” he voiced.
“UNHCR and partners together with the government have already begun assessments in refugee camps in Maban and surrounding communities. Among main needs identified so far are emergency shelter, food, water, and sanitation. Refugees and local communities urgently need international support as it faces one of the worst floodings within the last decades.”
According to the report, South Sudan has been hosting roughly 300,000 refugees, most of them from Sudan's Blue Nile and Kordofan provinces. Some 1.5 million people, meanwhile, have been internally displaced inside the recently founded oil-rich country.
