Heavy rains in ongoing wet season cause death of a girl in Darfur

Torrential rains continue in Sudan and heavy rains fell in South Darfur, El Gedaref, and White Nile state over the past week, causing many houses to collapse. On Wednesday, a nine-year-old girl died when a wall collapsed on her in Rahad El Beri, South Darfur.

The heavy rains that fell in the past week in the area of Rahad El Berdi, about 150 kilometres south-west of South Darfur state capital Nyala, led to the collapse of a large number of houses, including the house in which a nine-year-old girl died.

Mahdi El Taher, a community leader in Rahad El Berdi, told Radio Dabanga that the girl's sisters survived but are receiving treatment at the hospital in the town.

He said that the heavy rainfall last week caused great damage to some neighbourhoods of the town and flooded villages in the area. He called on the authorities to help the victims in the localities of Rahad El Berdi and Um Dafug.

Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defence reported the complete and partial collapse of nearly 4,000 houses in El Gedaref in eastern Sudan last week, due to the heavy rain.

In White Nile state, one person drowned in floods after heavy rains fell in large parts of the region. More than 3,000 houses and 20 school buildings were completely or partially damaged. More than 8,000 acres of crops have also been destroyed, and about 300 heads of livestock died.

The destruction of farms and farmland is particularly worrying because Sudan’s agricultural season is already under threat and, with the economic crisis and rising inflation, Sudan’s food security is in peril.