Foreign Minister Mohammed Ramdan Goc meets Samaritan Purse Deputy Director. (MoFA&IC).

South Sudan’s foreign minister has held a meeting with a senior official of evangelical Christian organization Samaritan Purse – where he urged continued support to the country’s population affected by widespread floods, hunger and the burden of Sudan war.

Minister Mohammed Abdallah Goc and David C. Phillips, the Deputy Director of Samaritan Purse on International Projects, met in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Wednesday.

A statement said Hon. Ramadan explained the humanitarian situations and flooding in the country and” encouraged the organization to continue supporting the vulnerable people in good faith.”

On his part, Albino Akol Atak, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, added that the humanitarian situation is still worsening along the South Sudan-Sudan border as the war continued in Sudan.

“He urges the organization to support the government priority in addressing the humanitarian need,” it added.

Flooding has impacted over 735,000 people in 40 counties across South Sudan, worsening an already dire humanitarian crisis compounded by severe food insecurity and economic decline, the UN humanitarian agency said.

UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said since May, floods have damaged homes, crops, and infrastructure, disrupting education and health services and raising disease risks.

Since the outbreak of conflict in Sudan in April 2023, there has been a significant humanitarian crisis leading to mass displacement of approximately 800,000 people to South Sudan.

On his part, Mr. David expressed the organization’s “willingness to support South Sudan on humanitarian situations caused by war in Sudan and also considered to support the flood affected population within the country.”

Samaritan’s Purse says it provides emergency food, medical care, and drill wells to enhance access to clean water to internally displaced populations in South Sudan, and refugees who have fled violence in the Nuba Mountains and other parts of Sudan.