Floods tear through delta in war-torn Sudan's southeast; Liberia appeals for flood help

Floods tear through delta in war-torn Sudan's southeast; Liberia appeals for flood help
by AFP Staff Writers
Port Sudan, Sudan (AFP) July 9, 2024

Torrential flooding battered Sudan's southeast Tuesday, bringing entire villages underwater and causing homes to collapse, witnesses told AFP, in the first devastating weather event of Sudan's rainy season.

In Aroma, a town some 60 kilometres (37 miles) north of the major city of Kassala, residents were "shocked this morning by the sudden water" after the collapse of a dirt barrier that functioned as a makeshift dam, local resident Ibrahim Issa told AFP over the phone.

The flooding, which usually occurs in the area later in the summer, follows increased rainfall in neighbouring Eritrea, feeding the Gash River.

Also known as the Mareb River, the waterway flows out of Eritrea and annually inundates the flat delta in eastern Sudan, just north of the Kassala state capital.

"Now everything in my house is completely underwater, I only managed to get my children out," Issa said.

By early afternoon, the waters had submerged large parts of Aroma as well as three nearby villages, according to a humanitarian worker in the area.

"The water is still coming," the worker told AFP, requesting anonymity because they are not authorised to speak to the media.

Photos shared on social media showed residents wading through thigh-level brown water.

AFP could not immediately verify the scale of the damage wrought by the flooding.

Each year, torrential rains and river flooding -- which peak in August -- destroy homes, wreck infrastructure and claim lives, both directly and indirectly through water-borne diseases.

The damage is expected to be much worse this year, after nearly 15 months of war that have decimated the country's already fragile infrastructure and pushed millions of displaced people into flood zones.

The World Meteorological Organization has predicted "above-normal rainfall" over most of the Greater Horn of Africa region this summer, which could spell disaster for Sudan's already flood-prone areas.

East African bloc IGAD's climate predictions chief, Guleid Artan, has warned of exceptionally high risk of flooding in both Sudan and South Sudan.

Aid groups have repeatedly warned that humanitarian access, already hampered by both rival forces, will be made nearly impossible as the waters isolate remote areas.

Sudan is already facing what the United Nations has called the world's worst humanitarian crisis in recent memory, as fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces shows no signs of abating.

A record 10.5 million people are currently displaced across the country, which has for months teetered on the brink of all-out famine.

Liberia appeals for help after 'unprecedented' flooding
Monrovia (AFP) July 9, 2024 - Recent "unprecedented" flooding has killed two and left nearly 50,000 in "urgent need" in Liberia, the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) said Tuesday, calling for international support.

The floods triggered by torrential rainfall have so far affected "more than 48,000 people" in the West African nation and caused severe damage to homes, schools and hospitals, the agency said in a statement.

The flooding hit the counties of Montserrado, the country's most populous which includes the capital Monrovia, as well as Margibi to the north and Grand Bassa in the centre.

The downpour which began at the end of June left 8,000 displaced, some 300 of whom have not yet returned to their homes, an NDMA official told AFP by telephone on Tuesday.

"The scale of the flooding is unlike any we have ever witnessed," the NDMA statement said, adding it was "overwhelmed" and unable to address all the needs simultaneously.

"We call on our partners, both local and international, to support the NDMA in addressing the needs of the affected population," the statement said.

The NDMA said it needed $10 million to address "the emergency needs of the affected population".

The disaster agency stressed that Liberia was not yet halfway through the rainy season and that the country had limited resources to combat the effects of climate change.

It added that an estimated 100,000 people were at risk of flooding, storms and coastal erosion.

"The compounded emergencies -- mass displacement, injuries, deaths, damaged homes and public buildings, and heightened health risks -- are expected to worsen in the coming days and weeks," it said.