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SOUTH SUDAN / HAYSOM BENTIU FLOODS
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / HAYSOM BENTIU FLOODS
TRT: 5:16
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 06 DECEMBER 2021, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN / FILE
FILE – BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, floods
06 DECEMBER 2021, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“Even as we speak, the water is continuing to rise, and they are saying now that the natural evaporation of the water will take 15 years. So natural evaporation is not an option. We are going to have to find a way of allowing people to return to their lives and connect to livelihoods; and be able to return to their places of origin as dignified returnees. It’s going to take a really significant effort. “
3. Driving shot, people displaced by floods
4. Zoom out, children
5. SOUNDBITE (Local Language) Rhoda Ngor:
“We are here now with our children. We don’t have anything. We don’t have shelters, blankets, or clothes. We lost everything during the flooding. We are suffering. Even some of our children are walking around naked and don’t have shoes.”
FILE – BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
6. Various shots, humanitarian aid
06 DECEMBER 2021, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
7. Wide shot, mother and child
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Erika Choul, displaced person:
“Some women leave in the morning to catch fish in the water to sell to get food on the table for their families. They get bitten by snakes and insects that are dangerous for them.”
9. Various shots, Haysom meeting with Governor
10. Aerial shots, floods
11. Various shots, excavator at work
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Colonel Hameed Akbar, Commanding Officer of the Pakistan Military Engineers, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“We need to ensure in the short term, that for the short term measures, we are able to hold on to all these places which are dry today. And then moving forward, we have to also think that these are the four or five months that we are left with, so, we need to pump in some more resources and recover those or reclaim those areas which are urgently required by the population which has been displaced, like the Rubkona village or the market area.”
FILE – BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
13. Various shots, humanitarian aid distribution
14. Wide shot, protection of civilians site
15. Wide shot, displaced person under a tree
06 DECEMBER 2021, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“My message to the international community would be to help, and if they have any doubts about the scale of the crisis and the dramatic way that it has affected people’s lives, come here and have a look.”
FILE – BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
17. Various shots, armored vehicle
18. Zoom out, protection of civilians site
06 DECEMBER 2021, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Beny Makon, Deputy Chairperson of the Bentiu Displacement Camp:
“Previously, we were thinking that since peace was signed, we would go back peacefully if everything was implemented. But with the current situation where the flood has come, people who are here have increased by the number of people coming from outside villages. So, we have very high fear. We don’t think we are going to leave here this year because of the floods.”
20. Med shots. Caged animals
21. Aerial shots, floods
22. SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“I can only promise that, as UNMISS, we are going to do our best to deal with this problem. I think we all have an interest in the normalisation of South Sudan and in creating the conditions for people to have normal life. I would encourage South Sudanese not to give up hope on that prospect.”
23. Driving shot, temporary settlement camp
UN Special Representative in South Sudan Nicholas Haysom visited Bentiu to see first-hand the work being done to assist some 850,000 people who have been affected by flooding in Unity State.
In a recent visit to the State’s capital, Bentiu, Haysom said, “Even as we speak, the water is continuing to rise, and they are saying now that the natural evaporation of the water will take 15 years. So natural evaporation is not an option. We are going to have to find a way of allowing people to return to their lives and connect to livelihoods; and be able to return to their places of origin as dignified returnees. It’s going to take a really significant effort. “
Seventy percent of South Sudan’s Unity State is now under water because of the worst floods in sixty years. Until now, war, intercommunal fighting, cattle raiding, sexual violence, displacement, and the dire economic situation had been the dominant concerns in the country. But there is a growing realization of the very real and present threat posed by climate change to lives and the prospects of recovery.
Rhoda Ngor is among those who fled. She and her seven children left everything behind in her village in Guit county. taking her seven children but leaving everything else behind.
SOUNDBITE (Local Language) Rhoda Ngor:
“We are here now with our children. We don’t have anything. We don’t have shelters, blankets, or clothes. We lost everything during the flooding. We are suffering. Even some of our children are walking around naked and don’t have shoes.”
Humanitarians are mobilising every possible resource to support the families despite huge shortfalls in funding. But it’s not enough. People remain desperate, risking their lives to feed their families.
SOUNDBITE (English) Erika Choul, displaced person:
“Some women leave in the morning to catch fish in the water to sell to get food on the table for their families. They get bitten by snakes and insects that are dangerous for them.”
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) said it was doing everything it can to help in partnership with humanitarians and local authorities.
Racing against time and tide, engineering peacekeepers from Pakistan have built more than 70 kilometers of dykes to protect the town, displacement camps and airport.
Within the community, there is a new kind of vigilance. The threat is no longer guns. It is water. They prowl the perimeter constantly checking for cracks in the mud dykes. When they spot seepage, a call goes out to the peacekeepers and IOM who rush to respond with bulldozers, excavators and water pumps.
The community labours alongside them using buckets, pieces of metal, and even their hands to shore up what they call the last line of defence.
However, this is a temporary fix. More resources are urgently needed with only a few months before the rainy season arrives.
SOUNDBITE (English) Colonel Hameed Akbar, Commanding Officer of the Pakistan Military Engineers, United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“We need to ensure in the short term, that for the short term measures, we are able to hold on to all these places which are dry today. And then moving forward, we have to also think that these are the four or five months that we are left with, so, we need to pump in some more resources and recover those or reclaim those areas which are urgently required by the population which has been displaced, like the Rubkona village or the market area.”
The international community has provided billions of dollars to keep the peace in South Sudan as well as feeding, sheltering, educating and caring for 8.3 million people in need. But this country is not alone in its plight. Many are struggling from conflict, extreme poverty, and the environmental havoc caused by climate change. With so many competing demands, it is difficult for donors to continue being so generous.
SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“My message to the international community would be to help, and if they have any doubts about the scale of the crisis and the dramatic way that it has affected people’s lives, come here and have a look.”
Peace began to descend on South Sudan when an agreement was signed between warring parties in 2018.
The relative calm has enabled the transition of UN protection of civilians’ sites housing hundreds of thousands of people into conventional displacement camps under the responsibility of the government. Many had begun returning to their original homes, but that dream has been dashed for this community.
SOUNDBITE (English) Beny Makon, Deputy Chairperson of the Bentiu Displacement Camp:
“Previously, we were thinking that since peace was signed, we would go back peacefully if everything was implemented. But with the current situation where the flood has come, people who are here have increased by the number of people coming from outside villages. So, we have very high fear. We don’t think we are going to leave here this year because of the floods.”
While the human impact is immense, wildlife is also suffering.
Cheetahs and other natural predators have infiltrated the displacement camps to escape the floods and find food. Cheetahs are trapped in tiny makeshift cages because of the threat they pose to human life. There is no food for them and nowhere safe to release them.
Massive investment in infrastructure is needed to prevent this crisis from becoming a catastrophe. The local government wants to construct 300 kilometers of permanent dykes.
If dry land is not reclaimed to support crops and livestock, people will continue to rely on humanitarian relief.
SOUNDBITE (English) Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS):
“I can only promise that, as UNMISS, we are going to do our best to deal with this problem. I think we all have an interest in the normalisation of South Sudan and in creating the conditions for people to have normal life. I would encourage South Sudanese not to give up hope on that prospect.”
Hope is in short supply but with a history of resilience and help from international friends, recovery and rebuilding are possible.
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