NEW YORK - SABA : Heavy rains and floods in Sudan have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis there and affected nearly half a million people since late June, specifically in South Darfur, Red Sea, River Nile and Northern States, as well as North Darfur – the hardest-hit states, UN humanitarian workers said.
UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news conference on Tuesday that some 124,000 people in areas at risk of famine, including in the North Darfur capital El Fasher, were affected by heavy rains.
Flooding and stagnant water also increase the risk of disease spreading, he noted, with nearly 2,900 suspected cases of cholera reported since the most recent outbreak in mid-August.
The UN and its partners are on the ground to help affected communities, with aid organizations last week delivering life-saving therapeutic food to six thousand severely malnourished children in the city of Nyala, South Darfur.
Last month, Sudan witnessed sudden floods, the largest in many years, that hit the northern states, and left heavy losses in lives and property, as climatic conditions worsened the conditions of tens of thousands of families, and led to the spread of diseases and epidemics, such as cholera, according to Sudanese Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim.
| more of (International) |