Sudan declares state of emergency amid flooding as River Nile swells to highest level in almost a century
A three-month state of emergency has been declared in Sudan as it is engulfed by deadly floods that are quickly spelling out a humanitarian disaster.
The heavy rainfall, which started at the end of July, has already killed almost 100 people and caused the total or partial collapse of over 100,000 homes, according to the state news agency. With above-average rainfall forecast to continue until the end of the month, UN agencies are warning of catastrophic consequences.
Much of the flooding is caused by heavy seasonal rains in neighbouring Ethiopia, which cause the River Nile to rise. By late August the Nile had risen around 17.5 metres, the highest in almost a century.
The floods have already contaminated or put out of use over 2,000 water sources, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, leading to concerns over the ability to enact coronavirus prevention measures. Sudan has more than 13,000 coronavirus infections, including 833 deaths.
The agency also warned that Sudan’s aid stocks have been “rapidly depleted” and that its humanitarian plan for the country is less than 44 per cent funded.
The rates of floods and rain this year are already higher than the 1988 record which saw over a million people displaced from their homes, according to the Sudanese Irrigation Ministry.
The UN’s refugee agency also raised concerns with an estimated 125,000 refugees and internally displaced people affected. In North Darfur, in particular, 15 people have so far died and a further 23 are missing.
Lina Al-Sheikh, the Labor and Social Development Minister said that more than 500,000 people across the country had so far been affected.
