Sudan floods: No sign of relief from torrential rains as 23 more people die

No sign of relief from ongoing rains and floods in Sudan as torrential rains caused the death of 22 people in Darfur and one person in northern Sudan. In South Darfur, 16,000 homes were completely destroyed.

The humanitarian disaster unfolding in Sudan due to ongoing torrential rains and floods is not showing many signs of improvement yet. In Darfur alone, 22 people died. A few days ago, the death toll from the floods in Sudan was 89.

South Darfur and El Gezira in eastern Sudan have been hit particularly hard so far.

In El Managil, in El Gezira, the the Sadagaat Charity Organisation reported that “despite the great efforts made to help our people affected by the floods in El Managil, the team of the Sadagaat Charity Organisation and several other parties, has not been able to reach the people in the area, because the floods destroyed a number of roads”.

“The heavy rainfall last night made the situation even worse,” the charity explained.

South Darfur

The South Darfur Civil Defence Department stated yesterday that the floods caused erosion and destruction of farms located near valleys in Beleil, Kass, Ed El Fursan, Gereida, Um Dafug, and El Radoom.

Acting South Darfur Governor Hamed Hanoun visited the affected areas. There, people demanded the state government declare the state a disaster area, as happened with El Managil in El Gezira, because of the tragic conditions in which those affected by the floods now have to live.

The destruction of farms and farmland is particularly worrying because Sudan’s agricultural season is already under threat and, with the economic crisis and rising inflation, Sudan’s food security is in peril.

Many farmers live in camps for the displaced after decades of violence and genocide against Darfuri farmers. Camps for the Darfuri displaced have been severely affected by flooding in Darfur and neighbouring Chad.

Kalma camp for the displaced has been affected particularly severely and the humanitarian conditions in the camp continue to deteriorate.

On Tuesday, floods caused by torrential rains swept through Kalma camp for the displaced, east of South Darfur’s capital Nyala, and destroyed a large number of homes of displaced people, who now have to live in the open.

The newly destroyed homes come on top of the roughly 7,500 homes destroyed the week before, which already affected 20,000 families. Most of those affected are without shelter or food.

With about 300,000 residents, Kalma camp is one of the largest camps for displaced Darfuri in the region.

In a statement yesterday, the camp leaders condemned “the failure of the Sudanese authorities and humanitarian organisations to remedy the situation in the camp, despite our repeated appeals since the start of the flood disaster”.

‘We condemn the failure of the Sudanese authorities and humanitarian organisations to remedy the situation in the camp, despite our repeated appeals since the start of the flood disaster’ – Kalma camp leaders

They also hold the government and organisations responsible for the deaths of several children because of malnutrition and for the spread of diseases resulting from the poor living conditions in the camp, where large areas have been swept away by rains and floods.

The General Coordinator of the Darfur Displaced People and Refugees, Yagoub Furi, already expressed his concern over the health effects of the stagnant water pools in Kalma camp last week.

Earlier this month, 2,322 children were reported as malnourished in Kalma camp and six died of malnutrition after the World Food Programme (WFP) had to suspend support.

North Darfur

As in South Darfur, Tuesday’s heavy rains severely affected Kabkabiya in North Darfur, which witnessed 79.3mm rainfall. The rains caused damage to many houses and government buildings and lead to death of livestock.

North Darfur’s capital El Fasher and other areas also witnessed floods.

The North Darfur department of the Humanitarian Aid Commission called on the federal government and national and international relief organisations to urgently intervene to contain the situation.

Northern Sudan

In northern Sudan, torrential rains and floods caused the death of a woman and cut off the highway to the Egyptian border (called the Artery of the North) in the vicinity of Sahaba in Northern State.

A listener told Radio Dabanga that the woman was seriously injured when a wall of her house collapsed due to the rain. She died while people tried to bring her to Dongola for medical treatment.

In northern part of Nile River state, the Rainy Season Emergency Room also reported torrential rains that caused great damage to villages the area of Abu Hamad, bordering Egypt.