South Sudan Faces Escalating Flood and Conflict Crisis, Warns UNHCR

South Sudan is being swept into another cycle of severe flooding just as renewed conflict threatens its fragile peace. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) has warned that the country’s most vulnerable communities—already battered by years of conflict, displacement, and food insecurity—are now facing a double crisis of conflict and climate disaster.

Rising Waters and Renewed Conflict

In recent weeks, heavy floods have submerged vast areas of Jonglei, Upper Nile, and Unity states, displacing around 100,000 people. Many of these families had already fled their homes due to the resurgence of violence since February 2025. If waters continue to rise, UNHCR projects that up to 400,000 people could be displaced by the end of the year, surpassing the levels of flood-induced displacement seen in 2024.

The peak impacts are expected between September and October, when seasonal floods are likely to cut off entire communities. This would exacerbate hunger and increase protection risks, particularly for women and girls, who are disproportionately affected by both conflict and environmental shocks.

Humanitarian and Health Impacts

Floods have damaged homes, schools, and health facilities while submerging farmlands and pasture, devastating livestock and food production. Safe water sources and latrines have also been destroyed, worsening sanitation and exposing communities to grave health risks.

Already, South Sudan is battling a cholera outbreak that had infected more than 12,000 internally displaced people and 3,100 refugees by the end of August. With stagnant water spreading rapidly, the risk of additional outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases is rising.

UNHCR’s Emergency Response

Together with local authorities and UN partners, UNHCR has prioritized life-saving support for 150,000 of the most vulnerable flood-affected people. Assistance includes:

• Emergency shelter materials and plastic sheeting for families who lost their homes.

• Direct cash aid to help households address urgent needs.

• Water pumps and the rehabilitation of dykes to drain floodwaters.

In Unity State, where 70 percent of the land is currently underwater, UNHCR has been forced to scale down operations due to funding shortfalls, leaving thousands without adequate support.

Funding Shortfall Threatens Aid

UNHCR has warned that without urgent international support, its ability to provide essential shelter, clean water, protection, and sanitation will remain severely constrained. As of 31 July, the agency had received only one-third of the nearly $300 million needed for humanitarian operations in South Sudan.

This funding shortfall comes at a time when needs are rising. In addition to flooding and internal displacement, South Sudan is hosting more than 1.2 million people who fled conflict in neighboring Sudan over the past two years, as well as 589,000 refugees from other countries. Inside South Sudan itself, about 2 million people remain internally displaced, while nearly 2.4 million South Sudanese refugees live across the region—making this one of Africa’s largest displacement crises.

Building Resilience Amid Recurring Disasters

For the past five years, UNHCR has worked with local communities to strengthen resilience to climate shocks. This has included reconstructing and reinforcing dykes in displacement sites, creating community maintenance committees, pre-positioning emergency supplies, and supporting alternative livelihoods such as canoe building and fishing.

These efforts have helped mitigate the damage of past floods, including the devastating inundations of 2022. But UNHCR warns that such measures are insufficient in the face of increasingly severe extreme weather events, compounded by renewed violence and chronic underfunding.

An Urgent Appeal for Global Solidarity

South Sudan’s plight is a stark reminder of how climate change and conflict intersect, disproportionately affecting those already living on the margins. Without urgent action and funding, hundreds of thousands of people risk losing their homes, their livelihoods, and their dignity.

UNHCR has appealed for greater international solidarity and financial support to avert a worsening humanitarian catastrophe. “Without additional funding, we cannot sustain life-saving assistance for the forcibly displaced and host communities already pushed to the brink,” the agency warned.

The unfolding crisis in South Sudan illustrates the urgent need for sustained investment in conflict resolution, climate adaptation, and humanitarian aid to prevent repeated cycles of suffering in one of the world’s most fragile nations.