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Sudan Situation Report, 19 Sep 2021

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Sudan
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OCHA
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HIGHLIGHTS

  • Over 288,000 people affected by heavy rains and flash floods in 13 states across the country.

  • About 13,400 homes were destroyed, over 43,700 homes were damaged.

  • Prepositioned relief items are being depleted and there is an urgent need to replenish stocks.

  • The Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) has allocated $7.7 million for swift humanitarian response across the country.

  • World Relief provides health, nutrition and psychosocial support to conflict-affected people in Ag Geneina, West Darfur.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Sudan Floods Update

Key Figures (as of 16 September 2021)

  • Number of People Affected: 288,092

  • Number of homes destroyed: 13,406

  • Number of homes damaged: 43,764

Heavy rains and flash floods affected over 288,000 people across the country as of 16 September 2021. About 13,400 homes were destroyed, over 43,700 homes were damaged, and an unconfirmed number of public infrastructure facilities and farmlands have been affected. Heavy rain and flooding have been reported in 13 out of 18 states, including Aj Jazirah, Blue Nile, Gedaref, Khartoum, North Kordofan, Northern, River Nile, Sennar, South Darfur, South Kordofan, West Darfur, West Kordofan and White Nile River Nile. Aj Jazirah, South Darfur, Gedaref and West Darfur are the most affected states. Nile River water levels have been rising since mid-July and currently Nile River water levels have surpassed flooding levels at the Khartoum station (Khartoum State), Ed Deim station (Blue Nile State), and at the Atbara and Shendi stations in River Nile State. The rainy season in Sudan is usually from June to September.

The Government, led by the Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), and humanitarian partners have started providing life-saving assistance to people affected. However, prepositioned relief items are being depleted and there is an urgent need to replenish stocks, especially if the humanitarian situation deteriorates further.

Sudan Humantirian Fund (SHF) Support

In support of the flood response, the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) has allocated US$7.7 million to 14 NGOs in 15 states to finance swift humanitarian response when needed. In addition, some $7 million has been allocated to four UN agencies for the procurement of emergency stocks. Another $3.5 million is available for floods rapid response activities.

2020 Floods

In 2020, almost 900,000 people across 18 states were affected in the worst flooding in the country in 100 years. Over 140 people died, 94,000 homes were destroyed, and 83,000 homes were damaged. An estimated 2.2 million hectares of agricultural land was flooded, representing 26.8 per cent of cultivated areas in 15 assessed states. Flash floods submerged villages and caused immense damage to infrastructure, including dams, roads, bridges and highways. Due to unreliable drainage systems, there was stagnant water in different locations, posing a risk to health outbreaks as pools of water become breeding grounds for water-borne and vector-borne diseases such as cholera, dengue fever, rift valley fever, and chikungunya. Hygiene and sanitary levels plummeted due to flooded latrines and contaminated water supplies, preventing people from exercising necessary COVID-19 prevention measures.

Helpful Resources

For more data on the floods in Sudan see the OCHA Sudan Floods Dashboard: Sudan Floods: People & Areas Affected

Previous Flash updates

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 13 (16 September 2021)

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 12 (9 September 2021) [EN/AR]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 11 (8 September 2021) [EN]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 10 (2 September 2021) [EN]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 09 (24 August 2021) [EN/AR]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 08 (19 August 2021) [EN/AR]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 07 (18 August 2021) [EN/AR]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 06 (12 August 2021) [EN/AR]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 05 (9 August 2021) [EN/AR]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 04 (05 August 2021) [EN/AR]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 03 (29 July 2021) [EN/AR]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 02 (27 July 2021) [EN/AR]

Sudan: Floods Flash Update No. 01 (23 July 2021) [EN]

FEATURE

Sudan Humanitarian Fund project helps children affected by conflict

At a makeshift health clinic set up alongside a road in Ag Geneina, a town in West Darfur, Sudan, several young girls sketch flowers, while the young boys in the group draw weapons and make mud moulds of military vehicles.

"I have been encouraging them to make drawings from happier memories before the conflict that led to their displacement," says Hajir Ahmed Hassan, a psychologist who works in one of the child-friendly clinics in the area managed by the non-governmental organization (NGO) World Relief through a grant from the OCHA-managed Sudan Humanitarian Fund. "The boys associate soldiers with power, having experienced conflict first-hand," she explains.

The drawing activities serve as therapy to help the children overcome psychological trauma as a result of the conflict in West Darfur.

All the children who participate in the activities come from displaced families. Four schools in Ag Geneina are currently closed because they are occupied by displaced people. The town currently has 71 gathering sites for internally displaced people.

The clinic where Hajir works provides health, nutrition and psychosocial support to children with severe and moderate acute malnutrition, as well as to pregnant and lactating women with moderate acute malnutrition.

Every morning, Hajir spends two hours with more than 30 children in makeshift structures or under the shade of large trees to address psychosocial issues arising from their displacement and current circumstances. She also engages with the children in recreational activities as part of therapy services.

When conflict broke out in West Darfur in January 2021, the Sudan Humanitarian Fund released US$300,0000 through its Emergency Rapid Response Mechanism within a week, and an additional $599,000 from its Reserve for Emergencies within three weeks, to respond to rising humanitarian needs.

The Fund has provided a total of $1.3 million for response activities in West Darfur to World Relief and Save the Children, while the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) provided an additional $5 million in January of this year to various partners.

With its share of the funds, World Relief has provided health, nutrition and psychosocial support through two fixed health facilities and nine temporary health clinics over the past eight months. Among the services provided include trucking clean water to 18 gathering sites for internally displaced people; installing water tanks; and distributing jerry cans to vulnerable households.

World Relief also built 18 communal latrines with handwashing facilities and carried out 28 hygiene promotion and environmental safety sessions in Ag Geneina. This past June, the NGO also added recreational activities and counselling related to general protection and gender-based violence. This assistance reached 58,344 internally displaced people, comprising 12,752 men, 13,335 women, 15,669 boys and 16,588 girls.

The Sudan Humanitarian Fund is a country-based pooled fund managed by OCHA Sudan under the leadership of the Humanitarian Coordinator. It collects donor contributions to make funding directly available to humanitarian partners working on the ground so they can deliver timely and effective life-saving assistance and protection to the most vulnerable people in need.

UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs: To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.