At least 2,000 flood-affected households in Alali County of South Sudan’s Akobo State are in dire need of humanitarian assistance, a local official said.

 Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Saturday, the county commissioner, Thomas Onyango Okan said heavy rains destroyed homes, leaving people in the open without food, safe drinking water and medicines since September.

“More than 2,000 families are affected in Alali and the surrounding villages. They are now living in higher ground areas of the county. And cases of malaria are now on the rise, especially among children,” he said.

 Onyango further said lack of food may force families to move to neighboring Ethiopia as farmlands were submerged in floodwaters.

 He appealed to the national government and aid agencies operating in the country assist the affected families.