Upper Nile governor, James Odhok. (Photo/Press Unit).

The governor of Upper Nile State said his government is aware of the risks associated with the anticipated flooding in the upcoming months and is preparing to alleviate a possible humanitarian crisis.

James Odhok said at a social event in Juba on Sunday that his government is collaborating with non-governmental organizations in the state to put in place flood mitigation measures.

“We expect flooding in Malakal, its surroundings, and all Nile-adjacent states. And now, we have begun flood preparedness together with non-governmental organizations in the state,” he said.

According to a Geneva-based data provider, more than 3 million people will be impacted by a major flood event in South Sudan in the second half of 2024, many of whom will need humanitarian assistance.

IMPACT Initiatives said by September and October, when floodwaters have peaked, relief actors will grapple with a scenario in which more than three million people are affected and 2.4 million need aid.

Government ministries have already called for preparations against the imminent flooding in the northern and central parts of South Sudan after record rise in Lake Victoria water level.

According to the IGAD climate center (ICPAC), the current rainy season in the Greater Lakes region indicates potential increase in volumes of water in rivers and lakes in Burundi, Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda and DRC.

In Panyijiar County of Unity State, an estimated 5,000 people have already been displaced after rising Nile water submerged homesteads, farms and pasturelands, according to the UN humanitarian agency.

UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said severe flooding is expected to hit 20 counties in Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Unity, Warrap, Jonglei, Central Equatoria, and Upper Nile states in the coming months.

“We have requested NGOs to provide us with machinery to open up old water passages or drainage in Malakal,” Odhok added.

– ‘Embrace peace’ –

Governor Odhok used the opportunity to urge the state citizens to shun violence and embrace peace – just a month after inter-communal conflict rocked Malakal, killing a dozen and displacing hundreds of others.

Mr. Odhok blamed the violence on “troublemakers” and stated that his government is pursuing the perpetrators to arrest and produce them before a court of law.

According to him, the state’s five tribes can peacefully coexist in Malakal as a cosmopolitan town, without a single group being suppressed.

“Malakal belongs to Koma, Maban, Shilluk, Nuer, and Dinka. In recent years, I have conveyed to the people in the state the importance of restoring the old Malakal, a place where people used to freely socialize.”

“This meant that if one person started a conversation in Nuer, it would continue until the end, and if another person started a conversation in Shilluk or Maban, it would continue until the conclusion.”

“We desire this in Malakal because no one in this world receives a certificate for killing others.”

Upper Nile has been hit, on several occasions, by deadly factional and subnational violence characterized by impunity.

In late 2022, a UN report found that nearly 600 civilians were killed amid gross human rights abuses and serious violations of international humanitarian law by armed groups in the state.

The UN investigation found fighting between armed groups that split from the Sudan People’s Liberation Army-In-Opposition led to at least 884 civilian casualties, of which 594 were killed, 290 injured, 258 abducted.

It was also reported that 75 women and girls were subjected to sexual violence, and the conflict caused a humanitarian crisis that displaced more than 62,000 civilians and led to significant destruction of civilian property.