Heavy Rains & Floods Devastate Sudanese Cities

Heavy rains accompanied by torrential floods have caused the destruction of thousands of homes and structures across various Sudanese cities in the north, east, and west, resulting in fatalities and injuries among residents due to complete and partial collapses of their homes.

Video footage shows water completely surrounding the city of Abu Hamad in the Nile River State, a key gold mining center in the country. Residents reported that the rain continued heavily for over 10 hours nonstop from night until early Tuesday morning. Citizen Al-Taher Hamza stated that several families had to evacuate their homes with their children during the rain due to fear of collapse. He added, "The situation is catastrophic; water has inundated homes and streets throughout the city."

According to the residents, those displaced and taking refuge in dilapidated school buildings have been severely affected by the heavy rains.

The Meteorological Authority, on Monday, noted heavy to moderate rains accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds across most states of the country, in addition to floods, particularly in the Gash River, due to heavy rains in the Ethiopian highlands and Eritrean mountains. The Early Warning Unit warned that these rains would lead to torrential floods in central and northern areas of the Red Sea State (east) and Nile River and Northern states.

Warnings of Worse to Come

The unit urged local authorities to take the highest level of caution and readiness, warning residents in the three states to avoid low-lying areas and streambeds. It also anticipated continued rainfall with varying intensities accompanied by thunderstorms, torrential floods, and strong winds in most states of the country in a recent bulletin on Tuesday.

Activists shared photos and videos on social media platforms showing the heavy rain and floods that swept through Abu Hamad, forcing thousands of families to seek shelter in the open amid flooded lands. Residents of Abu Hamad expressed their fears of a health disaster due to the potential spread of diseases caused by floodwaters carrying hazardous materials used in gold mining into residential areas.

The heavy rains have washed away the road linking Abu Hamad and Atbara in the Nile River State and flooded several villages, causing severe losses to agricultural projects.

El Geneina Declared a Disaster Zone

In a separate development, the Governor of West Darfur State, Al-Taher Adam Kershom of the Rapid Support Forces, officially declared the capital El Geneina a natural disaster area due to the floods. He stated that more than 7,000 homes were completely or partially damaged, appealing to the United Nations and foreign and national organizations for urgent intervention to aid the large numbers of citizens living on the roads in dire need of food and shelter materials. The "El Geneina Resistance Committees," a local entity, reported on Tuesday that water had completely submerged the neighborhoods of Al-Zuhur, Al-Thawra, and Ardmeta. They called for immediate intervention to contain the floods that have cut off the road linking El Geneina and the Morni unit, which supplies the area with goods and foodstuffs.

The Sudanese Red Crescent Society announced that the rains and floods caused significant destruction in Wadi Halfa in the Northern State, displacing more than 174 families who were forced to seek refuge in schools and mosques. The United Nations warned last week of potential suffering for Sudanese citizens as the rainy season began, following about 15 months of war that inflicted severe damage on infrastructure and forced millions of displaced people to seek refuge in flood-prone areas.