Floods make roads, towns inaccessible in Sudan’s El Gedaref

Floods have washed away roads in El Gedaref state in south-east Sudan. The accumulated rainwater has also isolated a number of villages in southern El Gedaref.

On Thursday morning, the floods washed away El Hawata-El Mafaza main road which connects El Hawata with El Gedaref town.

A number of residents from El Hawata told Radio Dabanga that the town “is completely isolated from the rest of the state”. They pointed out that passenger and cargo vehicles have been unable to enter or leave El Hawata.

Two weeks ago floods and rains swept through most of the villages in El Gedaref’s El Faw locality, resulting in the collapse of a large number of houses and property losses.

Heavy rains over the past weeks have severely swollen the entire Nile river. On August 15, 22 school children and a hospital employee were drowned when a boat capsized and sank in the Nile at El Buheira locality in River Nile state. According to official statistics, rains and flash floods have left at least 61 others injured and displaced more than 8,900 families since July 23.

Pests

Farmers in El Hawata, El Mafaza and Galaal Nahal – south of El Gedaref – have complained about the emergence of strange worms that destroyed large areas of sesame crop.

Farmer Hassan Mohamed from Galaal Nahal told Radio Dabanga: “The worm has been spreading for two weeks. The Ministry of Agriculture notified us that there is no record of this type of worm.”

Mohamed added that a number of farmers have had to replace the destroyed sesame crops with sorghum.