Sudan Raises State of Alert to Face Torrents, Heavy Rain

A man rides a motorbike in a pool of water following heavy rain in Sudan's capital Khartoum, on August 13, 2022 (AFP)

Head of Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council Lieutenant-General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan pledged Sunday to provide support for all those affected by the floods and heavy rains.

He made the remarks in a speech on Sunday in the northern city of Shendi, on the occasion of the 68th anniversary of the establishment of the Sudanese armed forces.

“A total of 52 people have been killed and 25 others wounded due to torrential rains and floods since the beginning of the fall season,” SUNA reported on Saturday, quoting Abdel Jalil Abdelreheem, spokesman for Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defense.

The country recorded eight new death cases in Kassala State, east of the country, as a result of the seasonal flooding of the Gash River, which originates from the Ethiopian plateau.

Last week, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimated that around 38,000 people across East African country had been affected by rains and floods since the start of the rainy season in May, according to reports received by the government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC).

Reports indicated that about 9,000 houses were completely or partially destroyed in nine states, in addition to 140 health facilities and water sources.

Official statistics by the Civil Defense Forces stated that about 6,000 houses were destroyed, in addition to the significant damage to health and educational facilities.

The areas hardest hit include the River Nile, Kordofan, South Darfur and large areas of the Gezira State.

Rapporteur of the Supreme Council of Beja Opticals in eastern Sudan, Abdullah Obchard, said the flooding of Gash River isolated more than 20 areas in the east for more than a month.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that residents of these areas are facing difficult humanitarian conditions after the humanitarian organizations' failure to access their areas.

“We monitored the death of four people who drowned, while deaths and injuries are being confirmed due to people’s houses collapsing,” Obchard said, noting the death of large numbers of livestock.

The Council appealed to the government in Khartoum and to the UN organizations and agencies to provide urgent assistance to save those affected by the river’s flooding.

It issued a statement calling for urgent intervention to relieve the afflicted and provide the necessary aid.