LocationsClimate Security Risks Brewing in South Sudan as Floods Escalate in many Parts of the Country: A Case of Panyijiar
September 25, 2025
Enduring the flood: Women, men, and girls carrying the weight of survival and hope.
Panyijiar County, South Sudan - Catastrophic flooding in Panyijiar County has displaced more than 100,000 people, including 45,000 children and 26,000 women. Entire communities now struggle to survive, as floodwaters submerge their homes and livelihoods. The County Commissioner Hon. Gabriel Majok has voiced grave concern of the dire situation.
A Climate Security Flashpoint
The crisis in Panyijiar is not only a humanitarian crisis; it is unfolding as a climate security emergency within a fragile security landscape. Climate shocks are converging with armed conflict and fragile governance to create a climate security flashpoint. Coping strategies that worked in past years are breaking down. The high grounds to which communities have self-relocated are critically important as the only remaining land. However, all nine high grounds in Panyijiar are highly vulnerable due to their low elevation, and armed conflict impacts four of these.
In Greater Ganyliel, communities have been forced to move to higher grounds in areas such as Thoanhom, Burjuoth, Pachak, Pariel, and Pachienjok. Similarly, in Greater Nyal, families have self-relocated to higher grounds in Malok, Marial, Mayom, Kany-Nhial, and Maluak in the northern part of the county. These high grounds, however, are limited, overcrowded, and remain highly vulnerable. Their relatively low elevation means that if rains intensify in October and November as forecasted, many of these high grounds could also be submerged, displacing communities once again, and forcing them into increasingly desperate measures.
This is significantly different from 2024 flood preparedness and response planning. Last year, many displaced families from Panyijiar were able to cross into neighboring Lakes State, where access to high ground was managed through mediated arrangements, and community dialogues. The state’s leadership played a crucial role in negotiating access, thereby helping to reduce tensions despite the pressures of displacement. Administratively, there was an interstate dialogue between Panyijiar Unity State, and Lake State that came up with 21-point resolutions governing the process.
This year, the situation is sharply constrained. The outbreak of armed conflict, aerial bombardments, and cattle raids have created panic in the community, eroded social cohesion and weakened both traditional and administrative instruments for managing the flood-induced displacement. Unlike last year, when local leaders facilitated agreements, in 2025, no such dialogues have taken place, leaving communities without mechanisms to negotiate access to high grounds or defuse tensions. Communities in Lakes are themselves affected by severe flooding, and their willingness to host new arrivals has diminished. Reports of youth in Lake State arming themselves to prevent influxes highlight how tensions are hardening, leaving few safe options for displaced families in Panyijiar.
Enduring the flood in homesteads.
As the October peak flood season approaches, the risk of forced cross-border relocation into Lakes State in defiance of the embargo is growing. While Lakes State has 27 high grounds that have traditionally served as safe havens for self-relocation, their reliability and utilization is now compromised. Even of these, only five are considered safe due to their elevation, and 17 are impacted by armed conflict. Relations between Unity and Lakes States remain strained. In Lakes severe flooding has displaced communities and contributed to violence, with authorities reporting several deaths. The arrival of thousands of families and their herds from Panyijiar could only add further pressure on already overstretched resources. Displaced cattle keepers moving stock across the border have raised fears among local farmers about scarce land and croplands being occupied, compounding a fragile relationship already marked by a history of cattle raiding and revenge attacks. The crisis leaves the people of Panyijiar with an impossible choice, caught between the threat of violence then by rising waters, with limited options for safe self-relocation.
A Test for the HDP Nexus
Panyijiar’s plight is part of a broader national trend, illustrating that crises in South Sudan cannot be addressed in isolation. While immediate humanitarian aid—such as pumps, sandbags, emergency kits, and medicines—is essential, UNDP’s role extends to supporting long-term solutions. This includes investing in climate-resilient infrastructure, community-based early warning systems, and peacebuilding initiatives to manage tensions, thereby breaking the cycle of recurrent crises.
UNDP also plays a vital role in strengthening local governance capacity, enabling county and state institutions to plan and respond more effectively to future flood seasons. Additionally, UNDP supports initiatives to enhance flood-resilient agriculture, promote alternative livelihoods, and implement climate adaptation measures, helping communities develop sustainable coping strategies beyond displacement.
This crisis underscores the critical importance of the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) Nexus. As an integrator, UNDP is poised to connect flood preparedness with community dialogue, climate-resilient livelihoods, and strengthened local governance—key actions to prevent today’s emergency from escalating into future conflict.
The Road Ahead
The broader lesson is unmistakable: climate shocks are becoming inseparable from the country’s security and development trajectory. Whether this crisis becomes another chapter in South Sudan’s cycle of displacement and conflict or a turning point toward resilience and cooperation will depend on how quickly and holistically national authorities, UNDP and development partners, humanitarian partners, and peacekeeping actors can respond.
Enduring the flood: finding solutions in the midst of struggles.