Thousands are stranded in the eastern Sudanese city of Kassala as relentless rains exacerbate the misery of over a million Sudanese displaced by a 15-month-old conflict. The ongoing rainy season has damaged shelters, rendered roads unusable, and threatens millions with water-borne diseases across vast areas of the country.
The flooding comes as the number of displaced people within Sudan, currently over 10 million, continues to rise. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have expanded their territory in the war against the national army, further displacing civilians.
The conflict, which began in April 2023, has sparked warnings of famine and has been labeled by the United Nations as the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Currently, 765,000 people are sheltering in Gedaref state, and more than 255,000 are in Kassala state, which experienced the worst of the rains over the weekend.
Increasing Displacement and Harsh Conditions
The most recent influx includes 165,000 people from Sennar state, many of whom arrived on foot during heavy rains. Over 10,000 of these new arrivals are packed into the few remaining empty buildings in Kassala city, including a school courtyard and an empty hangar that quickly flooded.
“We endured the sun beating down on us, but we can’t handle the rain,” said Nada Omer, one of the displaced.
Many now wait under store awnings or tarps in the streets, with heavier than usual rains expected to continue until September. Some have rejected a plan to move them outside the city, where income opportunities are scarce.
“We are waiting in the street and have nowhere to settle,” said Hussein Abdo, another displaced person.
The UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, is working on identifying more suitable sites for the displaced. However, the agency’s efforts are only one-third funded. At least five people have reportedly died due to the rains, according to the United Nations.
Those who arrived earlier from Khartoum or El Gezira state, or slightly drier areas like al-Gedaref, are not much better off. They sleep on the floors of schools with limited services and makeshift, shallow toilets that have also been flooded.
Health Risks and Resource Shortages
Little was done to prepare for the rainy season, said Mohammed Qazilbash of Plan International. “We are coming up to 500 days of the war, and everybody is exhausted… It’s one tragedy over another,” he told Reuters.
The government and aid workers are bracing for an increase in water-borne diseases, including cholera, malaria, and dengue fever, with limited medicines available to treat them.
“We are sharing what is available, but it is above our capacity,” said Dr. Ali Adam, head of the state health ministry.
The rainy season impacts most of the country. Last week, more than 1,000 houses and 800 latrines were destroyed by rain at Zamzam camp in North Darfur, one of the locations experts say is likely to face famine.
Meanwhile, the RSF’s advance has not ceased. On Monday, they reached an area about 180 km (112 miles) from Gedaref, one of the states that has sheltered the most people. Kassala, the only neighboring army-controlled state, does not have the capacity to absorb people from Gedaref, nor does the army’s de facto capital, Port Sudan, on the Red Sea.
“People are scared, but there are no options,” said a volunteer in the Gedaref emergency response room. “They are awaiting their fate, the other cities are full.”
Source: Reuters
