Floods in Sudan damage thousands of homes

KHARTOUM – Thousands of homes have been damaged in Sudan after torrential rain caused heavy flooding, with many streets in the capital Khartoum deep in water, Agence France-Presse correspondents said on Sunday (Aug 8).

Heavy rain usually falls in Sudan from June to October, and the country faces severe flooding every year, with damage to properties, infrastructure and crops.

In Atbara, a city in Sudan’s north-east, the official news agency Suna reported that a number of houses had collapsed due to the heavy rain.

On Thursday, the United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA said some 12,000 people in eight out of the country’s 18 states had been affected.

“Over 800 homes have reportedly been destroyed and over 4,400 homes damaged,” the UN said.

Last year, heavy rain forced Sudan to declare a three-month state of emergency after flooding affected at least 650,000 people, with over 110,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

In the Blue Nile – which joins the White Nile in Khartoum – flood waters swelled the river to its highest level since records began over a century ago.