Heavy rains, flooding kill 114 in war-torn Sudan since June: Health Ministry

Khartoum, Aug 22 (IANS) Heavy rains and flooding from Sudan’s rainy season, which began in June, have resulted in 114 fatalities, the Sudanese Health Ministry reported.In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry’s Autumn Emergency Room said that the death toll has risen to 114, with 281 injuries, reports Xinhua news agency.Additionally, ten states have been affected, impacting 27,278 families and 110,278 individuals.On August 10, the ministry reported 53 deaths and 208 injuries from floods and rains in nine states during June and July.Earlier, the country’s Interior Ministry announced that more than 4,000 houses completely collapsed, 8,000 houses partially collapsed, 40 public and private facilities were damaged, and around 832 square kilometres of agricultural land were damaged, while a number of animals died.Flooding, a yearly occurrence in Sudan, typically happens between June and October. Over the past three years, heavy rains have claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed vast swathes of agricultural land.This year’s rainy season has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, which is already grappling with a deadly conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.Since April 15, 2023, the conflict has displaced millions of people within Sudan and forced hundreds of thousands to flee to neighbouring countries.According to the latest UN data, about 10.7 million people are internally displaced within Sudan, with approximately 2.2 million seeking refuge abroad.–IANSint/sd