African bank provides aid for displaced in South Sudan

By Benjamin Takpiny

JUBA (AA) - The African Development Bank has provided $200,000 to help people affected by the floods in South Sudan.

The grant will be given through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

“This contribution is crucial to allow tens of thousands of people displaced by the floods to procure their own food and avoid the spectrum of hunger,” Meshack Malo, FAO representative in South Sudan, said in a statement issued on Thursday.

“We are working non-stop with the Government and our other partners to help South Sudanese return fast to their farming and livelihood activities,” Malo added.

Benedict Kanu, the bank’s country manager for South Sudan, underscored the urgency and gravity of the issue.

He said that more than 100 people killed and about 25,000 refugees and internally displaced people are among those affected.

Since July 2020, unprecedented flooding has destroyed the homes and farmlands of over 800,000 people -- with Jonglei and Lakes being the worst affected states -- forcing many to leave their homes.