Ahmad 
South Sudan’s government on Saturday announced the closure of schools for an indefinite period, due to the unprecedented heat wave sweeping the country.
The extraordinary move follows reports of deaths linked to excessive temperature hikes, without giving further details.
South Sudan, a tropical country in East Africa, experiences heatwaves during the dry season in February and March, but temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius are rarely seen.
Under this decision, all schools will be closed starting Monday, without specifying the duration of the closure.
The government advised parents to be vigilant and prevent their children from playing outdoors, while closely monitoring signs of fatigue caused by high temperatures.
South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world and is particularly affected by climate change and its repercussions on the daily lives of its people.
The crisis comes at a time when the country has been plagued by ongoing violence and economic instability since independence from Sudan in 2011, requiring urgent humanitarian assistance to meet growing challenges.
The country is struggling to recover from the civil war between arch-rivals Riek Machar and Salva Kiir between 2013 and 2018, which left 400,000 dead and millions displaced.
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