FILE PHOTO: A Man Rowing Through the Flooded Area In Unidentified Location In South Sudan - PHOTO by Gabriela Vivacqua/ WFP

A civil society activist has challenged the president to pay a visit to the state he recently placed under state of emergency in order to witness the suffering of the residents there.

“I am appealing to the president to come out and visit the areas which are devastated by the floods,” David Garang, chairperson of Jonglei State Civil Society Network.

In August, President Salva Kiir placed Jonglei state and Pibor Administrative Area under a three-month lockdown following the unending circle of violence and the unfolding humanitarian situation caused by floods.

According to the South Sudan constitution, the president may declare a state of emergency when a disaster has occurred or may be imminent that is severe enough to require the state aid to supplement local resources in preventing or alleviating damages, loss, hardship or suffering.

The law further states that the declaration of state of emergency may suspend certain normal functions of government, as well as alert citizens to alter their normal behavior, or may authorize government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans as well as to limit or suspend civil liberties and human rights.

But Garang says the state of emergency declared by the president serves no purpose as thousands of citizens suffer without government intervention.

“Come and see how the citizens of South Sudan are suffering…and go back and decide how to help them,” he stated.

Local officials say they have seen unprecedented levels of water that has completely devastated the greater Jonglei.

Besides, photographs circulating on the social media show women and children sheltering on high grounds, mostly roads.

According to the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, an estimated 800,000 people have been affected by flooding in areas along the Nile River since July, with over 360,000 people displaced.