AKUAK, South Sudan – In the midst of deep water, Ayen Deng Duot struggles with papyrus plants, using a machete to break their roots. These clumps will help expand her family’s island home, crucial for their survival amid rising floodwaters.
The Akuak community, about 2,000 strong, has been building islands from plants and mud for generations. However, climate change is wreaking havoc, making these islands harder to maintain. This year, floods have forced over 375,000 people in South Sudan from their homes, according to the United Nations.
“We need to protect our homes; there’s nowhere else to go,” Duot explains. The Akuak people, part of the Dinka ethnic group and primarily fishers, live in a landscape where neighbors rely on canoes to visit. Their huts, called tukuls, dot the islands, making for a peaceful yet precarious existence.
Flooding in South Sudan has worsened dramatically. A March 2025 paper from the Norwegian Foreign Policy Institute notes that flooding seasons have become unpredictable. While waters used to recede during the dry months, many families now face constant water levels.
“We are poorer now,” admits Chief Makech Kuol Kuany. “Fishing has become our only lifeline.” Once cattle herders, they switched to fishing in the late 1980s. They miss the days when their livelihood came from farming, cattle, and fishing.
Daily labor includes creating barriers to keep water at bay. Workers like Anyeth Manyang dig up mud and rocks, layer by layer. “I learned this from my family,” he says, tired but determined.
Though challenges abound, the Akanak community remains committed to their land. “This is where our ancestors lived,” says Matuor Mabior Ajith. They cling to hope that the waters might recede, similar to past floods in the 1960s that eventually ended.
The community faces a new dilemma: education. A school that opened in 2018 closed within two years due to flooding. Young Philip Jok Thon longs for a return to education, lamenting, “We want to learn about the world.”
Though moving to nearby Bor offers a chance for a different life, Duot worries it would expose her children to dangerous influences. “It’s better for them to stay here, where we can protect them,” she says.
Despite the hardships, the Akuak community continues to fight for their home. Each day begins and ends with toil, but their resolve is clear: they will endure.
