Flooding restricts aid to areas of Sudan facing famine, UN says

CAIRO — The United Nations refugee agency said Friday that flood conditions in Sudan have made it difficult to deliver aid to areas where many are already facing hunger and famineincluding a camp in North Darfur for those who have fled the ongoing fighting.

In a statement, the agency said at least 11,000 people in the country, many of them already displaced, have been affected by heavy rains and flooding.

Much of the country has fallen into a humanitarian crisis since fighting began more than a year ago between the army and a powerful paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF. Some of the most devastating displacement and violence has occurred in the country’s western provinces, North Darfur and Darfur.

A July report on hunger conditions published by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) concluded that parts of North Darfur, especially Zamzam camp, are likely experiencing “the worst form of hunger” known as Phase 5 of the IPC. He said the famine conditions in Zamzam camp were fueled by conflict and “severely restricted humanitarian access.”

Around 320,000 people are believed to have been displaced in Al Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, since mid-April, according to the CPI, and at least 150,000 of whom are believed to have moved to Zamzam camp in May to meet the necessities of life. . The population of that camp has expanded to more than half a million in a few weeks.

“Humanitarian needs are reaching epic proportions in the region, as hundreds of thousands of civilians remain at risk and famine has recently been confirmed in one displacement location,” UNHCR said in a report on the flood situation.

Heavy seasonal rains have caused flooding in some parts of Sudan this week, and forecasts predict more storms in the coming days.

Local Sudanese media reported Wednesday that 17 people died in the northern city of Abu Hamad due to flooding, although authorities have not yet released an official death toll for the entire country.

An emergency team from the Sudanese Red Crescent concluded that 3,000 homes were destroyed in Abu Hamad.

The Darfur Network for Human Rights said the city suffered heavy and constant rain for more than 10 hours.

“The situation requires urgent government intervention to provide shelter and food to those affected and support thousands of displaced people who have taken refuge in the city to escape war zones. The situation demands community solidarity and urgent assistance to confront this disaster,” the group said on X, formerly Twitter.

Sudan’s national meteorological service on Wednesday issued a flash flood warning valid until August 13 for heavy rain and thunderstorms in states including Khartoum, Gezeira and North Darfur.