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South Sudanese community fights to save land from relentless flooding worsened by climate change

This year South Sudan faces catastrophic flooding for the sixth year, displacing over 375,000 people, while the Akuak community, a clan of Dinka fishers, hand-build papyrus-and-mud islands in a swampy stretch of the Nile River.
Growing unpredictability in seasonal floods has made islands harder to maintain, with researchers saying climate-driven seasonal flooding worsens and political instability limits alternatives.
Residents layer papyrus and mud by hand, diving to fetch clay and using canoes and fishing nets, while Ayen Deng Duot and Matuor Mabior Ajith expand and maintain islands in recent years.
Many residents have been displaced or moved to towns, yet the Akuak have largely stayed despite the school opened in 2018 closing within two years due to floods.
Akuak fisherman Matuor Mabior Ajith says `We will never abandon our land`, as residents and leaders remain committed despite tiny islands requiring quick repairs, chief Kuol Kuany believes waters could recede, and soil must be added for fixing soil gaps.

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