Floods displace over 4,000, destroy hundreds of homes in central Sudan, UN migration agency says

More than 4,200 people were displaced and 550 homes destroyed after heavy rains and flooding struck Umm al-Qura locality in central Sudan’s Al-Jazirah State, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said Sunday.

The floods hit Major 6 village in eastern Al-Jazirah on Friday, forcing 850 families – about 4,250 people – to flee their homes, the UN agency said in a statement.

Field teams reported the destruction of 550 houses, with displaced families taking shelter in open areas nearby, the organization added.

Sudan typically experiences heavy seasonal rains between June and October that trigger large-scale flooding.

The natural calamities came as a civil war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) continues in Sudan since April 2023. The conflict has left tens of thousands of people dead and millions more displaced.