South Sudan floods affect 1 million people

Almost 1 million people have been displaced or otherwise affected by extreme flooding in South Sudan, according to a United Nations report released on Friday.

Heavy flooding has devastated the east African nation since July, submerging entire communities and forcing hundreds of thousands of people from their homes.

Flooding has become more serious in recent days. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement that the situation is "extremely concerning."

The floods have limited people's access to health care facilities, nutrition centers and other basic necessities.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also estimated that about 490,000 children were affected by the flooding. An estimated 908,000 people have been affected overall.

High humanitarian needs

Rains are likely to continue for another four to six weeks, putting more people at risk.

Many of the affected people were already facing high humanitarian needs before the flooding. More than 60% of the population are facing malnutrition.

The UN also predicted that the crisis will not be over when the flooding recedes, as serious damage has already been done to arable land and livestock.

South Sudan is one of the poorest nations in the world, despite its oil.

ed/aw (dpa, AP)

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