Heavy downpours have caused widespread flooding and destruction in Manyo County, Upper Nile State, displacing hundreds of residents and leaving dozens of families without shelter.

According to the area coordinator, Mr Albino Chol, more than 30 households have been severely affected by floodwaters. He said the worsening conditions forced the county administration to relocate affected families to a nearby secondary school compound for temporary shelter.

Chol said approximately 380 people have been displaced, the majority of them women and children. He appealed to humanitarian organisations, local and international NGOs, and well-wishers to urgently assist communities affected by the flooding.

He stressed that displaced families are in immediate need of essential supplies, including temporary shelter, food assistance, clean water and emergency medical services.

Flooding has continued to affect several parts of Upper Nile and Jonglei states, damaging homes, farmland and other sources of livelihood. The humanitarian situation in the region has also been compounded by ongoing insecurity, displacement and the arrival of people fleeing conflict in neighbouring Sudan.

Manyo County is located in the northern part of Upper Nile State, near the border with Sudan. The area has been hosting South Sudanese returnees as well as Sudanese refugees who fled the ongoing conflict across the border.

Nearby Renk County has also received large numbers of returnees and refugees, with many Sudanese nationals establishing temporary livelihoods and businesses as they seek safety in South Sudan.

Local authorities in Manyo County are calling for an urgent humanitarian response before conditions deteriorate further, particularly for vulnerable women, children and families who have lost their homes.