Nearly 136,000 Sudanese people have been affected by the floods and heavy rains since June, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs…reports Asian Lite News
The Sudanese government has declared a state of alert and emergency in six states of the country over heavy rains and floods, the official SUNA news agency reported.
“In its meeting on Sunday, the Council of Ministers declared a state of alert and emergency regarding the flood disasters that affected six states, including River Nile, Gezira, White Nile, West Kordofan, South Darfur and Kassala,” the report said on Sunday.
The council stressed the need to mobilise official and popular efforts to attract internal and external humanitarian support from official and popular bodies to provide assistance to the affected people in the states, Xinhua news agency reported.
Acting Cabinet Affairs Minister Osman Hussein Osman affirmed the opening of an account in local and foreign currencies to attract support to the people affected by torrential rains and floods in the states.
“We announce mobilisation of the popular and official effort to help the affected people and strengthen early warning and follow-up systems in order to avoid potential damage,” SUNA quoted Osman as saying.
Wide areas in Sudan have recently been witnessing unprecedented heavy rains and floods. The latest death toll from the disaster has climbed to 80, according to a report of Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defence on Sunday.
Nearly 136,000 Sudanese people have been affected by the floods and heavy rains since June, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Sudan often witnesses floods caused by heavy rains from June to October.
Insecurity of aid workers
The United Nations humanitarian agency has decried attacks on aid workers in South Sudan, noting that such incidents may negatively impact the delivery of life-saving food supplies to those in need.
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Sara Beysolow Nyanti, the Humanitarian Coordinator in South Sudan, also called for a joint action to address the humanitarian crisis and an immediate end to attacks against civilians and humanitarian workers.
“I would like to highlight and honor the humanitarians, especially women, who work tirelessly on the frontlines in the most difficult environment, trying to reach thousands of crisis-affected people,” Nyanti told journalists in Juba, the capital of South Sudan ahead of the World Humanitarian Day to be marked on Friday.
She noted that the majority of humanitarian workers who have been killed in South Sudan are nationals who sacrificed their lives to provide assistance to the most vulnerable people in hard-to-reach areas.
Nyanti revealed that 8.9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the east African country in 2022, noting that aid agencies are targeting 6.8 million people affected by climatic shocks, drought, subnational violence, COVID-19, and others.
“It takes a village to raise a child. In the same way, it takes an array of partners to support crisis-affected people. We need urgent collective efforts to help the vulnerable population in South Sudan,” Nyanti said.
According to the UN, South Sudan has been one of the most dangerous places for aid workers since 2013, with 319 violent incidents reported last year targeting humanitarian personnel and assets.
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