Heavy rain, flooding and fighting paint grim picture of Sudan: UN

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) — Heavy rains and flooding, coupled with the continuing deadly fighting, have resulted in a grim situation in Sudan, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that heavy rains and flooding are affecting 143,000 people across 12 of Sudan’s 18 states.
Flooding has displaced 27,000 people since June, the office said. The embattled town of El Fasher in North Darfur has been among the hardest hit.
OCHA said hundreds of homes have been damaged or destroyed at the Abu Shouk site for internally displaced people in El Fasher, where the Famine Review Committee (IPC) warned just two weeks ago of famine conditions.
“The flooding is compounding people’s misery, as intense fighting in and around El Fasher in recent days continues to displace already vulnerable people and severely limits people’s access to basic services,” the office said. “Access to the Abu Shouk camp and other areas of El Fasher remains extremely constrained due to fighting and flooding, challenging the ability of aid workers to scale up relief efforts in the worst-affected areas.”
The humanitarians said that despite the challenges, the United Nations and its humanitarian partners are working hard to deliver assistance in hunger hotspots, including in western Darfur and other parts of the country.
The World Food Program reported distributing food to nearly 14,000 people in Sheikan, North Kordofan, one of the areas assessed by the IPC as at risk of famine.
OCHA repeated the call from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and allow safe passage for civilians and facilitate rapid and unimpeded humanitarian access.
Sudanese Armed Forces have been battling the militia, known as the Rapid Support Forces, across a large swath of the country since April 2023. ■