Three drown in Sudan floods, Arab League pledge aid

Floods in Sudan affected 1,544 households and three people drowned in El Gezira on Thursday, bringing the number of victims in the state to 11 people.

In El Rahad locality in El Gedaref, 23 villages have been affected by flooding. At least 1,849 households are affected.

In River Nile state in northern Sudan, floods completely destroyed 52 homes and four mosques in the Dal area at the west bank of the Nile.

In Abu Hamed locality, more than 60 households, who fled from the flooded El Ayadiya island, are suffering from a lack of drinking water and health services.

The government of Northern State reported that the heavy rainfall and floods that swept through large areas of the region have destroyed 17,570 acres of summer crops, including sorghum, maize, vegetables, fruit and palm trees. 161 irrigation pumps and 46 water wells have been destroyed.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation in Khartoum announced that floods have affected more than 100,000 feddans of crops in the country this year.

Ammunition explosion

Yesterday, in Khartoum North, a lightning strike led to an explosion of ammunition stored a warehouse of the Weapons and Munition Institute of the Sudan Armed Forces in El Kadaro.

Residents of Bahri locality in Khartoum North told Radio Dabanga that they heard four loud blasts over the thunder storm. They saw a number of army vehicles driving away from the scene of the explosions. No casualties have been reported.

The sources demanded the weapons stores and the headquarters of the regular forces be removed from residential areas.

Relief

The League of Arab States, based in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, has reiterated its solidarity with the government and people of Sudan. In a statement yesterday, the Arab League said it will continue coordination with the Sudanese government to provide urgent relief.

The statement appealed to the international community to support the provision of relief to Sudan “to confront the disaster”.

The Egyptian Minister of Health, Dr Hala Zayed, received two aircraft at Khartoum Airport as part of an air bridge, to deliver assistance from the government of Egypt to Sudan for combating the flood disaster this week.

An Emirati relief flight, a contribution from the UAE Red Crescent, also arrived in Khartoum, carrying medical supplies, food, sanitary, and shelter materials.  The Kuwaiti Council of Ministers has also directed the provision of urgent aid to Sudan, and the Kuwait Red Crescent Society launched the Sudan Relief campaign.

The Permanent Mission of Sudan to the UN Office in Geneva, Switzerland, have launched an urgent appeal to international relief organisations to assist those affected by the torrents and floods that have struck the country for days.

In Washington, the Sudanese embassy launched an initiative to collect donations for those affected by floods in the various states of Sudan.

The Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) reported on September 8 that the heavy rains and floods have affected over 557,000 people in 17 out of 18 states. The states most affected by floods are Khartoum, North Darfur and Sennar, which account for 43% of all people affected.

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