Torrential rains and overflowing rivers are inundating large parts of South Sudan, swamping homes, markets and farmland and leaving thousands of families without food, clean water or shelter, local officials and the UN said.
In Jonglei State’s Pigi County, where water has climbed to roughly 1.5 meters, nearly 40,000 people—almost half the county—have been displaced, Commissioner Suleiman Deng Thon said. Many have moved along the canal or fled toward Wudwa and Zinki in Upper Nile State. “Sandbags and generators would help people build dykes and pump water from residential areas,” he said, appealing for national and international assistance.
Residents describe a stark struggle for survival. “All the houses in Canal are under water, and the crops are gone,” said Nyok Lang Gajang, 35, who has been living in the open with his two wives and children since July. “There is no food.” With roads cut, his children have been out of school since August. “There is no medical facility and no school in Pigi,” he added.
In the Greater Pibor Administrative Area, authorities say more than 113,000 people have been affected and 43,000 displaced across six counties. “Most of the affected populations are suffering from malaria and other waterborne diseases,” said David Ngiro Yangkon, who chairs the area’s Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, citing more than 5,000 recorded infections and gaps in health services in places like Likuangole and Gumuruk.
Market closures are compounding the crisis. “Women are the ones who work in the market, but now the market is submerged,” said Victoria Simon Chakor, a mother of five whose shop was swept away. “We have lost everything… There has been no humanitarian assistance.”
South Sudan’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Albino Akol Atak Mayom, warned that up to 1.6 million people could be affected this year out of a population of about 12.7 million. He said the government plans to budget around $170 million for climate response efforts and urged partners to act quickly “to save lives, protect livelihoods, and help communities build resilience.”
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that as of Oct. 24, flooding had affected 961,000 people across 26 counties in six states—mostly Jonglei and Unity—with nearly 335,000 forced onto higher ground. Emergency teams have restored several hand pumps, improving access to safe water for roughly 9,000 people, but OCHA warned that funding shortfalls, damaged roads and persistent floodwaters continue to slow aid delivery.
While flood levels are lower than in peak years (2021, 2022 and 2024), they remain well above historical averages, OCHA noted. The country’s overlapping crises—conflict, underdevelopment and climate shocks—are deepening displacement and food insecurity. Humanitarian partners say they are delivering life-saving support where access allows, but pre-positioning of supplies and rapid response are being hampered by logistics constraints and disrupted supply chains.