El Nino rainy season worsens plight of thousands of Sudanese displaced by war: UNHCR

By Beyza Binnur Donmez

GENEVA (AA) – The United Nations refugee agency warned on Friday that the situation for people displaced by the war in Sudan is deteriorating due to the El Nino rainy season.

"As heavy seasonal rains kick in across Sudan, refugees and internally displaced people continue to bear the brunt of an incredibly dire humanitarian situation after more than a year of deadly war that has now led to the tragedy of famine conditions, all compounded by the growing impacts of climate change," UNHCR spokesperson Olga Sarrado told a UN press briefing in Geneva, Switzerland.

Sarrado said heavy rains and flooding have already impacted tens of thousands of people across Sudan, causing further displacement, injuries and deaths.

Over 11,000 people, including refugees hosted in the country and local communities in the eastern Kassala state, have been impacted by severe floods and heavy rains in the past two weeks, she said.

She added that more than 400 shelters have also been damaged in the Shagarab refugee camp, "leaving already vulnerable people destitute."

UNHCR and state authorities have identified a new site where tents are being set up to accommodate the affected families, she said.

"The new site is expected to host some 800 families newly displaced due to the flooding," she told reporters. "UNHCR has already started erecting emergency shelters, with some 400 tents installed so far."

Noting that despite the ongoing rain, at least 200 families have been relocated, the spokesperson said UNHCR is planning to distribute plastic sheeting to refugees to repair roofs damaged by the storms.

The agency is also prepositioning core relief items and shelter kits, cleaning drainages and building dikes to mitigate similar impacts in other states including Gedaref, White Nile and Blue Nile states, as more rainfall is expected in the eastern and western parts of the country, Sarrado said.

Flooding in the Darfur region is also impacting the already limited ability of aid agencies to reach people in need, she added.

UNHCR launched a regional floods appeal for nearly $40 million to assist and protect 5.6 million refugees, returnees, internally displaced people and local communities in Burundi, Ethiopia, Somalia, Rwanda, South Sudan and Sudan, which has so far received only $5 million in funds, according to the spokesperson.