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UN PhotoSOUTH SUDAN / FLOOD DISPLACED COMMUNITIES
STORY: SOUTH SUDAN / FLOOD DISPLACED COMMUNITIES
TRT: 03:54
SOURCE: UNMISS
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NUER / NATS
DATELINE: 16 SEPTEMBER 2025, BENTIU, SOUTH SUDAN
1. Various shots, flood waters, dykes construction
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Zehrudin Sukanovic, Chief, Mine Action Programme in South Sudan, United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS):
“UNMAS clearance in Thou-Mangor removed a critical obstacle for IOM to complete 17 kilometers of dykes and release 42 square kilometers of land, which demonstrates how mine action, through tangible results on the ground, delivers tangible impact, enables implementing partners like IOM to fulfill their mandates, bringing life-saving assistance to communities. These operations allowed displaced families to return safely and underscored how mine action is a critical enabler for humanitarian response, climate resilience, and a durable solution for South Sudan.”
3. Various shots, dykes being constructed
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Bayath Ruai Wel, Minister of Roads and Bridges, Unity State:
“Our target is to give, to distribute, this land to the IDPs and the returnees who are coming from Sudan, and the IDPs who are displaced by the water, by the floods.”
5. Various shots, UNMAS staff talking and removing XOs
6. SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Kuol Kueth, Chief, Thou-Mangor-Island:
“We hope that once the water is pumped out, we will be able to access pasture for our cattle, rebuild our homes, cultivate the land, and reduce our dependence on food aid brought from far away.”
7. Various shots, community members
8. SOUNDBITE (Nuer) Nyariaka Biel Goah, resident, Thou-Mangor-Island:
“I want to thank the Government and IOM for coming to see us and building the dyke that will keep us safe. We used to suffer so much from the floods, but now that suffering is over. I never thought something good could happen to us.”
9. Various shots, village, flood water
New deadly floods have swept across Unity, South Sudan, engulfing homes, schools, health facilities, farmlands and pastures, wiping out livestock and contaminating water sources.
This fresh surge of stagnant water from extraordinary rainfall and the resulting spillover from the Nile River is further devastating a region where 70 percent of the land is already under water from previous floods, affecting more than 220,000 people.
Humanitarians and United Nations peacekeepers are doing their utmost to provide life-saving assistance. The International Organization for Migration is constructing and reinforcing dykes to protect communities living on five islands with the help of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).
Zehrudin Sukanovic, Chief of UNMAS Mine Action Programme in South Sudan, said, “UNMAS clearance in Thou-Mangor removed a critical obstacle for IOM to complete 17 kilometers of dykes and release 42 square kilometers of land, which demonstrates how mine action, through tangible results on the ground, delivers tangible impact, enables implementing partners like IOM to fulfill their mandates, bringing life-saving assistance to communities. These operations allowed displaced families to return safely and underscored how mine action is a critical enabler for humanitarian response, climate resilience, and a durable solution for South Sudan.”
The new flood defense network will enable the State Government to reclaim large areas of land, which will be made available to 150,000 households so they can recover and rebuild.
Bayath Ruai Wel, Unity State Minister of Roads and Bridges, said, “Our target is to give, to distribute, this land to the IDPs [Internally Displaced Persons] and the returnees who are coming from Sudan, and the IDPs who are displaced by the water, by the floods.”
UNMAS’ efforts will help protect a community facing constant threats from unexploded ordnances, the legacy of decades of civil war. Despite best efforts, eight people have been killed this year, including six children and two women, and 20 others injured by these deadly devices.
Kuol Kueth, Thou-Mangor-Island Chief, said, “We hope that once the water is pumped out, we will be able to access pasture for our cattle, rebuild our homes, cultivate the land, and reduce our dependence on food aid brought from far away.”
These residents are not alone in benefiting from UNMAS’ work.
During its 20 years in the country, UNMAS teams have destroyed 7.3 million small ammunitions, 1.2 million explosive devices, and cleared 5000 kilometers of roads, 2340 water points, 3350 schools and 440 health clinics, providing safe access to services for millions of people.
For 37-year-old Nyariaka Biel Goah, the combined efforts of the UN and local authorities have provided a lifeline, after flooding destroyed her crops and made it impossible for her seven children to attend school.
Nyariaka Biel Goah, Thou-Mangor-Island resident, said, “I want to thank the Government and IOM for coming to see us and building the dyke that will keep us safe. We used to suffer so much from the floods, but now that suffering is over. I never thought something good could happen to us.”
Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent across South Sudan, cutting off entire communities, exacerbating food insecurity, and heightening protection risks.
With heavy rains predicted to continue in the next two months, a further 400,000 people are likely to be displaced by the end of the year, putting even more pressure on humanitarian resources which are already stretched to breaking point.
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