PANYAGOR, South Sudan, April 1 (UPI) -- Heavy rain and flooding in South Sudan's Jonglei state have displaced over 12,000 people, officials said.
The rise in the Nile River's water levels, and a dike left unrepaired since last year, caused the flooding, Twic County East commissioner Dau Akoi said, noting the worst affected areas are lowlands within the Jalle, Twic East, Maar and Lith districts.
"Forthcoming rains, a month away, will exacerbate the situation," Akoi said Saturday, and urged residents and humanitarian agencies to support current initiatives to repair the dike.
State and regional governments launched a fund-raising campaign to repair the dike, the Lutheran World Federation contributing 55 percent of the total thus far, the Sudan Tribune reported Monday.
