Sudan Faces Crisis Amid Heaviest Rains in Years

In Sudan, unusually heavy rains have killed at least 68 people and caused severe flooding. The country's existing conflict has led to the world's largest displacement crisis, making aid deliveries challenging. Critical infrastructure has been washed away, affecting millions and displacing over 44,000 people since June 1.

At least 68 people have perished during an unusually heavy rainy season in Sudan this year, the interior ministry reported on Tuesday. Shelters have collapsed and neighborhoods have flooded, exacerbating the misery in a country already torn by conflict.

Despite recent talks, the ongoing conflict between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) shows no signs of ending. This strife has resulted in the world's largest displacement crisis, pushing half the population into food insecurity and making aid deliveries nearly impossible due to administrative and security hurdles, compounded by under-funding.

The heaviest rains since 2019 have struck the western, northern, and eastern regions of Sudan, affecting 10.7 million displaced individuals. Among the affected areas is famine-struck Zamzam camp in North Darfur, which houses 500,000 people. The eastern states of Kassala and al-Gedaref have also been hard-hit, with residents fleeing an RSF advance. More than 44,000 people have been displaced by the rains since June 1, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM).

"Families are losing what little they have left, and critical infrastructure has been washed away, disrupting vital humanitarian aid," said Mohamed Refaat, IOM Sudan mission chief. The interior ministry reported that 12,000 homes have collapsed and 198,000 feddans of farmland have been damaged, numbers reflective of areas controlled by the army in the north and east of Sudan.