Series description
South Sudan has been plagued by political violence and instability since its independence from Sudan in 2011. Now it is experiencing massive floods for the fourth consecutive year. Since 2019, unprecedented rainy seasons have submerged large parts of the country’s landscape. Heavy rains and floods have swept away people’s homes, properties, crops, livestock, schools and healthcare centres, and caused extensive infrastructural damage to roads and bridges. The climate crisis is bringing further challenges to this already vulnerable country.
Biography
Fabio Bucciarelli is a photographer and journalist known for his documentation of conflicts and humanitarian consequences of war.
He has received numerous honors such as The Robert Capa Gold Medal, World Press Photo, VISA d'Or News of Perpignan, POYi, and Sony World Photography Award among others.
In his career, Mr.Bucciarelli has been working for many leading publications and his artworks appear in several collections and have been exhibited in galleries and ArtFairs worldwide.
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A tukul – a typical house in South Sudan – in floodwaters near Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan. Unprecedented flooding has submerged large swathes of the country and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. In the villages, most of the houses are built with straw wood and plastic sheeting, which has further aggravated the consequences of the floods.
© Fabio Bucciarelli, Italy, 3rd Place, Professional competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
Untitled
A former secondary school submerged by floodwaters in the White Nile river swamps between Leer and Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan. The floods have caused extensive damage to roads, bridges and schools; destroyed or severely compromised water, sanitation and hygiene facilities; damaged and limited access to health and education infrastructures; and disrupted markets and livelihoods.
© Fabio Bucciarelli, Italy, 3rd Place, Professional competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
Untitled
A car submerged by floodwaters in Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan. Mayendit is one of the many villages disappearing under water. In 2020 more than 12,000 people were living there, but in the last two years around ⅔ of them have left, becoming internally displaced persons.
© Fabio Bucciarelli, Italy, 3rd Place, Professional competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
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A basketball court submerged by floodwaters in Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan. In this area, the water level rose by 1-2 metres (3-6 feet), devastating everything in its path. Homes, offices, hospitals, bridges and roads disappeared under water.
© Fabio Bucciarelli, Italy, 3rd Place, Professional competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
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A hospital bed submerged by floodwaters in Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan. Two-thirds of the people living in Mayendit have fled and become internally displaced, while those remaining in the village struggle to meet their community’s basic needs. No humanitarian organisations are present in the village.
© Fabio Bucciarelli, Italy, 3rd Place, Professional competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
Untitled
A house previously used to stock food supplies is submerged by floodwaters near Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan. Unprecedented flooding has submerged large swathes of the country and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. Today, the water is no longer draining away and didn’t subside during the dry season, leaving more than eight million people at risk of starvation.
© Fabio Bucciarelli, Italy, 3rd Place, Professional competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards
Untitled
An armoured vehicle submerged by flood waters in Mayendit, Unity state, South Sudan. South Sudan has been plagued by political and ethnic violence and chronic instability since its independence from Sudan in 2011.
© Fabio Bucciarelli, Italy, 3rd Place, Professional competition, Landscape, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards