Sudan is once again hit by a dramatic natural disaster. Floods following heavy rains have left more than 80 people dead in the country and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes, a Sudanese official said on Monday.
“A total of 84 people have been killed and 67 others injured in 11 states of Sudan since the start of the rainy season,” said Abdel Jalil Abdelreheem, spokesperson for the Sudan National Civil Defense Council. The deaths are due to drownings, electrocutions and house collapses, he explained. Some 8,400 homes have been destroyed and more than 27,200 damaged across the country.
Recurring floods
Torrential rains typically fall in Sudan between June and October, and the country faces severe flooding every year that damages or destroys property, infrastructure and crops. The United Nations estimates that heavy rains and floods have affected 102,000 people since July. Nearly 50 villages have been submerged in the south, resulting in the displacement of 65,000 people, including South Sudanese refugees whose camp has been flooded, the UN said in a report last week.
In 2020, the rains forced the country to declare a three-month state of emergency, with at least 650,000 people affected and more than 110,000 homes damaged or destroyed.