Around 12 000 tonnes of cereal in the state of Jonglei was damaged due to flooding. ©FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) acting on behalf of the Government of South Sudan, will shortly receive a grant of USD 200 000 from the African Development Bank (AfDB) to complement the Government’s efforts to provide urgent life-saving humanitarian assistance to populations affected by floods. The funding is part of a multinational emergency response proposal to provide humanitarian assistance to flood-affected populations in Sudan and South Sudan.

The contribution, which will be used to provide food and nutrition assistance to almost 50 000 vulnerable and displaced people, comes at a critical time for South Sudan.

 Since July 2020, unprecedented flooding has destroyed the homes and farmlands of over 800 000 people - with Jonglei and Lakes being the worst affected states - forcing many to leave their homes. Torrential rains have caused rivers to overflow their dykes and banks, disrupting trade routes, damaging crops, killing livestock and submerging houses of tens of thousands of South Sudanese. This coincided with the unprecedented threat of COVID-19 pandemic causing significant supply shocks with an alarming impact on people’s access to food and exposing them to acute food insecurity and other diseases.

According to an assessment conducted in August 2020, around 12 000 tonnes of cereal - 45 percent of the total cereal area - in the state of Jonglei was damaged due to flooding, creating serious food shortages for thousands of displaced people in the coming months.

The AfDB Country Manager for South Sudan Benedict Kanu underscored the urgency and gravity of the problem at hand, noting the magnitude of the populations affected by flooding since July, with over 100 people killed and about 25 000 refugees and internally displaced people being among those affected.

“The situation is particularly critical given the COVID-19 preventive measures in place, insecurity in some of the affected states and the financial resource constraints faced by the government and humanitarian agencies, despite the growing needs of the flood-affected communities,” Kanu said. On a positive note, he added that the African Development Bank’s grant assistance will help provide much-needed food and nutrition support and food for-asset activities all the while complementing the contributions from the government and other partners. 

“This contribution is crucial to allow tens of thousands of people displaced by the floods to procure their own food and avoid the spectrum of hunger,” said FAO Representative in South Sudan Meshack Malo. “We are working non-stop with the Government and our other partners to help South Sudanese return fast to their farming and livelihood activities.”

The funds from AfDB will enable FAO to support initiatives in the agriculture sector and help to bolster the food security of over 8 000 households.

In response to the crises, FAO is providing rapid response kits, such as fishing equipment and fast-maturing vegetable seed to facilitate immediate access and availability to nutritious food. FAO is also scaling up cash-based interventions to access farming assets and livestock feed, setting up small-stock restocking schemes and establishing community-based tree nurseries. The use of all-terrain vehicles and boats is essential for FAO and other partners to reach the most vulnerable who were unable to farm because of their displacement.

Overall, FAO is urgently appealing for USD 10 million to save the lives and livelihoods and prevent thousands of farming families in South Sudan from spiraling into more severe acute food insecurity.