South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Okech Francis
The scourge floods are inflicting on people in the countryside are unimaginable and yet wild animals and snakes are also leading to the death of many fleeing from submerged areas, Edmund Yakani, the Executive Director of the Community Empowerment for Progress Organisation said.
In Pigi area of Jonglei State, a yound boy has already been reported killed and eaten up by wild animals in the face of the floods.
Media reports quoted Pigi County Commissioner, Suleiman Deng saying the tragic incident occurred in Koliet Boma in Khorwach Payam on Sunday night.
The animal which wasn’t identified devoured the boy, leaving only the head, Deng said.
Yakani noted the incident, paying condolence to the family.
“This incident is painful for the family,” he said.
Yakani also warned that snake bites are another foe to reckon with amidst the floods.
“The disappointment and regrets we are feeling in the face of these incidences is the government top leadership’s slow action on matters that affect the population’s safety, security, and protection,” he said.
“Let the painful loss of our beloved boy child be a national point of demanding our government’s top leadership to be accountable and proactive in their political and leadership decision on facilitating concrete actions on adequate financing towards flood preparedness and responses.”
Yakani said wild animals are becoming more threatening to people with the floods across the country.
“Wild animals are now turning to be a real threat to the lives of our citizens in the affected communities in the face of the floods in such high lands for safety, security, and protection for humans and livestock,” he said.
“The slow action of the government in effective and timely flood preparedness and response is offering a great threat to citizens’ safety, security, and protection,” Yakani said.
“Strongly, I am calling on His Excellency the President to sincerely push the relevant government authorities to adequately finance and support a genuine and concrete flood response. The worst situation or flood shocks is the implications of the floods on our population of persons with disabilities,” he said.
