South Sudan: Classrooms empty for weeks as temperatures hit 40C

The Irish Examiner travelled to South Sudan to meet with some of the 1.1m refugees who have fled across the border from civil war in Sudan. Women, children and men all shared stories of pain but also of their hope for something better in their futures

Mon, 24 Mar, 2025 - 01:00

Niamh Griffin in South Sudan

The classrooms at Salvation Primary School were empty for weeks this year because of a shock heatwave. Daily temperatures soared to 40C in South Sudan.

Some 1,300 students should have thronged the small school, in the state of Northern Bahr El Ghazal, on the day that the Irish Examiner visited.

The pupils include more than 450 refugees from the civil war in neighbouring Sudan.

Instead, the principal, Santino Garang, said: “The school was closed by the heatwave,” and he added that this was not normal.

The open window behind his desk and the open door in front offered ventilation. The doors and windows were also open in the classrooms.

“In each class we have, conditionally, the maximum will be 40 to 50 per class,” he said. In practice, the 19 teachers can have 80 students per class.

The weather was so dry and hot that dozens of mahogany benches — donated through international aid agencies to help teach the refugee children — sat outside, waiting to be cleaned and painted.

This school’s problems were reflected across the country.

This article is part of a series on South Sudan. Read more here:

The 'forgotten war' where children as young as one face sexual abuse;

Cholera outbreak latest calamity to hit displaced people;

Woman fleeing war gives birth on road at 2am;

As many as 2m children are suffering from malnutrition;

World's youngest country takes in 1.1 million refugees;

Refugees fleeing blood flow are a constant trickle.

People draw water near Athiem Medical Centre as temperatures soar in South Sudan. Picture: Eugene Ikol, Concern Worldwide

A scathing international report, analysing February’s temperatures in South Sudan, warned: “Climate change made the extreme heat at least 2C hotter and at least 10 times more likely.”

The report was published earlier this month by World Weather Attribution researchers, including at Imperial College London and Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre.

They noted government advice to stay indoors and keep hydrated.

“Both are a huge challenge for many across (South Sudan), as houses are often built with iron roofs, lack cooling and electricity and access to clean water,” they said.

Lengthy school closures mean gaps in education “and heighten risks of early marriage, making school return more difficult for girls”.

Farming is also at risk from the extreme temperatures. Picture: Eugene Ikol, Concern Worldwide

Farming is at risk, also, they warned, as “extreme heat worsens food insecurity”.

This is at a time when South Sudan faces malnutrition risks, especially among children aged under five and among pregnant or breastfeeding women.

South Sudan is the youngest country in the world, having only gained independence from Sudan in 2011, but is already grappling with some of the biggest challenges facing the world today.

These high temperatures came after unusually severe flooding at the tail end of last year’s rainy season.

The flooding destroyed wells and bore-holes across this state and neighbouring Unity State.

In areas near Salvation Primary School, reports from the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs show 53,100 farmers and cattle owners had lost crops and livestock by September.

The cholera clinic at Malek Miir Health Centre South Sudan. Picture: Eugene Ikol, Concern Worldwide

Some 154,960 people were severely impacted. The waters damaged 29 health facilities, 103 water points and 127 schools.

One of the few sources of revenue available to the South Sudanese government to deal with these challenges is oil money.

The World Bank estimated oil “accounts for nearly all exports and about 90% of government revenues”.

This income was paused by the outbreak of civil war in Sudan, which disrupted the flow of oil through its pipelines, only starting to resume in January.

The World Bank cautioned in October that food insecurity is an issue in South Sudan, due to “high inflation, climate and external shocks”, and said the war in Sudan poses “acute risks” to this young economy.