By Yiep Joseph
Community Empowerment for Progress Organization (CEPO) has called on the public to embark on solidarity initiatives to help flood-affected people across the country.
The executive Director, Edmund Yakani expressed that many areas continue to face the impact of the flooding, but little has been done to show solidarity with those affected.
In his Flood Response Campaign (FRC) statement, he acknowledged the current economic situation facing the country and the citizens in the country as government employees working without salaries for about a year.
He appealed to the general public to double efforts and take the case of those in flooding seriously revealing that civil society would soon roll out the campaign.
“We are calling for the South Sudanese and general public to join us in the flood response campaign in any form; the flood response campaign will be officially rolled out in late November 2024 in Juba,” Yakani said.
He appealed to the citizens to use what they have to ensure support and the protection of the flood-affected people, adding that more and more people continue to suffer in the country with no immediate support from the government.
“Although the country is in a hard and stressful economic situation, it will be good to get engaged in small-scale solidarity actions on safety and protection of the population faced by the flood shocks,” Yakani said.
“The nation is losing a lot of citizens, either dying or seriously suffering from flood shocks. The massive population of the country is in zero solidarity, with the population facing flood shocks. is understandable, but let us use the little or small help in any form to demonstrate solidarity with our people facing the flood shocks,” he added.
Yakani appealed to South Sudan in diaspora and well-wishers to double efforts in extending helping hands to the flood-affected.
“CEPO is urging our diaspora population; we are kindly and respectfully appealing to you to get engaged in solidarity action in any capacity you can help with the safety and protection of our vulnerable population facing the flood shocks across the country,” he said.
He called on the citizens to embark on a national solidarity initiative like fund-raising to help the flood-affected people across the country.
“Let us stand for the safety and protection of the citizens facing the various shocks of the flood across the country in the most affected flooded areas. It is painful and stressful to see our own fellow citizens suffering from flood shocks with effective national solidarity action,” he said.
He acknowledges the humanitarian actors for their efforts to reach out to the vulnerable population faced by the flood shocks.
A few days ago, more than 40,000 residents were reported to have been affected by massive flooding in the three payams of Puk, Rialthiang, and Rihah in Mayom County of Unity State.
According to county commissioner Luke Chierye Riek, the floods resulted from torrential rains that started at the beginning of October and have destroyed crops and livelihoods.
Also, more people have been reported in almost all states of South Sudan, hence the need for immediate help as the numbers continue to overwhelm the help provided by the humanitarian organizations.