Protracted flooding has engulfed the country’s Sudd region due to more water entering the Nile upstream, which is driving conflict and disease and is potentially leaving the region uninhabitable.
The Sudd region of South Sudan is home to a vast network of smaller rivers, swamps, and floodplains, making it one of the world’s largest wetlands. Flood levels vary significantly from year to year, mostly caused by fluctuations in water levels in Lake Victoria and controlled releases from the dam in Uganda where the lake empties into the Nile.
The communities who live in the Sudd, including the Dinka, Nuer, Anyuak, and Shilluk, are well adapted to the usual ebb and flow of seasonal flooding. However, the record water levels and long duration of recent flooding have stretched these indigenous coping mechanisms. Community elders who spoke to Médecins Sans Frontières said that fear of conflict and violence inhibited them from moving to regions of safe ground.
The protracted state of conflict in the country has further reduced their ability to cope. Around 2.6 million people were displaced in South Sudan between 2020 and 2022 alone, a result of both conflict and violence and flooding. Stagnant floodwater also leads to a rise in water-borne infections like cholera and hepatitis E, snakebites, and vector-borne diseases like malaria.
Climate Change: A Permanent Threat
Now, there are concerns that these displaced communities may never be able to return to their lands. While weather extremes regularly displace whole communities in other parts of the world, this could be the first permanent mass displacement due to climate change. The situation is dire, and urgent action is needed to support the people of South Sudan and mitigate the effects of climate change.