The United States Agency for International Development has donated plastic sheets to Internally Displaced Persons in South Sudan as rains hit parts of the country.

The International Organization for Migration says it has received four thousand plastic sheet tarpaulins from the USAID’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance for IDPs in South Sudan.

This donation was made as the first heavy rains of the wet season fell on overcrowded displacement camps in different parts of the country. IOM says the rain has already resulted in flooding and the collapse of temporary shelters in many displacement sites, including the UN base in Juba and other UN protection areas.

Tarpaulin will be offered to:

• 63,000 people, including foreign nationals

• 8 UN bases in Central Equatoria, Jonglei, Lakes, Unity and Upper Nile states

Since the outbreak of the conflict in mid-December last year, nearly one million people have been displaced inside South Sudan and over two hundred and seventy thousand others have fled to neighbouring countries.

Through its role coordinating shelter and non-food items, IOM South Sudan has organized the distribution of essential aid including materials for shelters, jerry cans, blankets and cooking kits to nearly three hundred and eight thousand people in the country in the last four months.