Over 21,000 Sudanese families affected by floods, heavy rains since June

More than 21,000 families in Sudan have been affected by floods and heavy rains in 11 states across the country since June, authorities announced Monday.

In a statement, Sudan’s Ministry of Health said Al-Jazirah and Al Qadarif states were hit this week by floods and rains that affected 3,639 families (18,195 people).

This has raised the total number of affected families to 21,811 (113,723 people) during the June 30 to Sept. 14 period, according to the statement.

It added that 11 out of Sudan’s 18 states have been affected: Al Qadarif, Kassala and the Red Sea (east); Northern and River Nile (north); Sennar and Blue Nile (southeast); West and North Kordofan (central-western); Central Darfur (west); and Al-Jazirah (east-central).

Sudan usually experiences heavy rainfall during the autumn season, which runs from June to October, often causing large-scale floods each year.

These natural disasters come at a time when the Sudanese people are already suffering from the ongoing war between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has continued since mid-April 2023.

The conflict has left more than 20,000 people dead and around 15 million displaced and refugees, according to the UN and local authorities, while a study by US universities estimated the death toll at about 130,000.