Disasters in South Sudan

About 60% of South Sudan's population lives near rivers, and approximately 5.4 million people are exposed to flooding. Around 25% of the population lives in areas at high risk of severe floods. Major flood hotspots include Jonglei, Unity, Upper Nile, Warrap, Northern Bahr el Ghazal, Lakes and Central and Eastern Equatoria. The Sudd, Sobat, Bahr el-Jebel, Bahr el-Ghazal and White Nile systems shape local exposure. A one-in-twenty-year flood can affect almost every State, with particularly serious risks in Unity, Warrap, Jonglei and the Sudd and Machar areas. Drought causes water shortages, loss of pasture and crops, livestock losses and food insecurity. Climate variability and upstream rainfall, including releases from the Lake Victoria system, can add to flood risk. Earthquakes, extreme weather and wildfires appear in multi-hazard assessments but have less locally documented weight than floods and drought. Flooding is concentrated in the rainy season, which normally runs from June to September and brings about 70% of annual rainfall. Typical inundation continues from July into October. Recent impacts show the scale of disruption: more than 1.4 million people were affected and more than 377,000 were displaced across 44 Counties in 2024. By 24 October 2025, more than 961,000 people had been affected and about 335,000 displaced across 26 Counties in six States. In 2024, floods left 58 health facilities and 522 schools under water; 143 health facilities were affected in 2025, including 44 that were fully damaged. The Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management leads national coordination. The Relief and Rehabilitation Commission, or RRC, is its legally established government agency for relief, rehabilitation, resettlement, reintegration, emergency stocks, disaster training and coordination with humanitarian organizations. State and County task forces, local Disaster Risk Management Committees, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Platform and humanitarian partners support the response. Partners can include the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the South Sudan Red Cross. The RRC has offices in all States, the three Administrative Areas and Counties, but implementation and government capacity differ by location. A typical response moves from a warning or initial assessment to a task force or Emergency Operations Centre, then to an inter-agency rapid needs assessment, prioritised assistance in Counties and Payams, monitoring and recovery. Flood response plans use target timings of up to two hours for an event briefing, six hours for a flash update and twelve hours for search-and-rescue or rescue coordination. Agencies try to move supplies and equipment ahead of the rainy season because roads and bridges may become unusable and some locations can be reached only by boat or airlift. Warnings may come through the National Multi-hazard Early Warning Bulletin, flood alerts and daily water-level information from the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, or the Eastern Nile Flood Forecast and Early Warning system. Authorities, task forces, community leaders, the South Sudan Red Cross, radio stations and humanitarian partners pass messages to communities. The planned National Flood Early Warning and Early Action System aims for data delays below three hours, forecasts with three to five days of lead time and one-kilometre resolution using satellite data, hydrology and local knowledge. In 2025, missing hydrometeorological stations, data gaps and limited capacity still left the national warning chain fragmented. South Sudan has no documented nationwide compulsory evacuation procedure or permanent national shelter system. In practice, households and communities may move voluntarily to mapped high ground, temporary sites, dykes or raised areas. Government authorities, the RRC, the Camp Coordination and Camp Management system, the International Organization for Migration, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the South Sudan Red Cross may support relocation. A safe site needs water, sanitation and hygiene services, shelter, health care, protection and reliable access. Displaced people, returnees, refugees, children, women, people with disabilities, older people and livestock keepers can face particular risks. Relocation can also cause overcrowding, secondary displacement, protection concerns, violence and disputes over land or resources. Assistance is generally based on needs assessments and available funding rather than a universal individual entitlement. Support can include water, sanitation and hygiene services, shelter and household items, food, protection, nutrition, education, health services, evacuation support, water-quality measures and repairs to dykes or sandbag barriers. People usually reach assistance through local authorities, the RRC, community structures or humanitarian partners. There is no documented nationwide standard compensation payment, compulsory disaster insurance or guaranteed cash benefit. Local self-help, family and community networks, boats, higher ground and community-built barriers remain practical alternatives where formal assistance is delayed or unavailable. In 2024, the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund allocated 5 million US dollars to Aweil East, Nasir, Rubkona, Mayendit and Fangak, while the Central Emergency Response Fund allocated an additional 10 million US dollars; underfunding continues to restrict coverage. Recovery involves the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, the RRC, State and County authorities, United Nations agencies, non-governmental organizations and development partners. Work can restore houses, roads, bridges, schools, health and water facilities, warehouses and livelihoods. The Durable Solutions Strategy and Plan of Action covers refugees, returnees, internally displaced people and host communities. Flood-resilient recovery may raise buildings and water points, improve latrines, strengthen embankments and dams, protect supply routes, store materials before the rainy season and support climate-smart agriculture. Repeated flooding often requires long-term resilience measures rather than a single repair after the water recedes. Critical infrastructure includes roads and bridges, schools, health facilities, water sources, sanitation systems, dams, warehouses, communications networks and hydrometeorological stations. In 2021, floods damaged more than 100,000 buildings and caused over 670 million US dollars in direct damage. Priority locations identified for improved flood-warning capacity include Malakal, Akobo, Pibor, the Sobat-White Nile corridor, Juba, Yirol, Bentiu, Bor and Nasir. Disease outbreaks, armed conflict and crime can intensify the effects of a disaster by damaging health, restricting access or increasing protection risks, but they are not separate disaster types in this classification.