The number of people killed by flash floods in Sudan since the beginning of the country’s rainy season has increased to 83, an official said on Tuesday as the nation’s communities were still being inundated by the downpours.
At least 36 people have been hurt since May, according to Brig. Gen. Abdul-Jalil Abdul-Rahim, spokesperson for Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defense.
Across the nation, more than 18,200 homes have been “totally destroyed,” while at least 25,600 have suffered partial damage.
More than 146,200 people, according to the United Nations, have been impacted by floods.
A video that was broadcast by the local media shows communities being flooded. Six of the country’s 18 provinces have had a state of emergency proclaimed by the authorities.
According to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or OCHA, the western Darfur area as well as the provinces of the Nile River, White Nile, West Kordofan, and South Kordofan are among the most affected.
Major budget shortfalls affect U.N. organisations. Less than a third of what is needed for this year has reportedly been given by donors, according to OCHA, to Sudan’s humanitarian response up to this point.
Following the 2019 overthrow of longstanding tyrant Omar al-Bashir in a popular uprising, Sudan’s short-lived democratic transition was interrupted by an October military coup, leaving the country without a functional government.
The rainy season in Sudan typically begins in June and lasts until the end of September, with August and September seeing the worst flooding. During the rainy season last year, flood-related accidents resulted in the deaths of more than 80 persons.