SSOMA decries regimes inaction and poor leadership in the face of catastrophic floods
As floods submerge vast areas of Jonglei, Central Equatoria, and Western Equatoria, the regime in Juba has found it appropriate to throw a lavish 14-day conference in Juba leaving thousands of destitute South Sudanese women and children at the mercy of international, religious, and community-based NGOs.
SSOMA, the South Sudan Opposition Movements Alliance, through Kwaje Lasu, a member of the SSOMA leadership council, released a statement of solidarity with the victim of the floods while pointing out the unsurprising lack of concern for the citizens on the part of the regime.
“The Juba regime’s lack of priorities is now glaringly exposed by the natural disaster in the form of severe floods that have submerged large areas and displaced about one-half (1/2) of the Jonglei State population, and swathes of lands in Central and Western Equatoria are underwater. The consequences in terms of human toll [are] enormous. Most of the affected populations are children and women whose needs for urgent humanitarian assistance are huge and dire,” read the statement in part.
In Juba, over 1000 delegates are being hosted to attend and then paid for their participation in the ‘National Dialogue’ – an unpopular regime sponsored initiative that did consult with the actual war-affected grass-root population.
In Jonglei, Central and Western Equatoria States, thousands have already been displaced, and hundreds are unaccounted for or feared dead as a result of floods that started as early as mid-September. The only organizations that have since start forth to rescue and help the needy were faith-based NGOs and community-based groups with members in the diaspora.
This is not the first time the predictable floods have hit the people. In October 2019, with close to a million people affected by heavy flooding in South Sudan at that time, the leadership of the National Salvation Front (NAS) came out to offer messages of solidarity and encouragement to the victims of the devastating floods and directed leaders in areas under NAS control to double their preparedness in the remaining weeks of the rainy season.
Feeling the pain and standing in solidarity with the people, SSOMA – via Kwaje Lasu, a member of the SSOMA leadership council, said “we stand in solidarity with our people and call upon and strongly urge the Regional and International Humanitarian Organizations and all the well-wishers to come urgently to the rescue of our suffering people of South Sudan.”
