UN: Floods Affected Over 288,000 People in Sudan

A satellite image shows Halfie Elmouluk as heavy floods sweep through Khartoum, Sudan, Sept. 5, 2020. (REUTERS Photo)
A satellite image shows Halfie Elmouluk as heavy floods sweep through Khartoum, Sudan, Sept. 5, 2020. (REUTERS Photo)
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UN: Floods Affected Over 288,000 People in Sudan

A satellite image shows Halfie Elmouluk as heavy floods sweep through Khartoum, Sudan, Sept. 5, 2020. (REUTERS Photo)
A satellite image shows Halfie Elmouluk as heavy floods sweep through Khartoum, Sudan, Sept. 5, 2020. (REUTERS Photo)

Heavy rains and flash floods affected over 288,000 people across Sudan as of September 16, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported.

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. Aj Jazirah, South Darfur, Gedaref, and West Darfur are the most affected states.

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, said OCHA.

In support of the flood response, the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) has allocated $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.

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, around 18,000 homes were destroyed.

An estimated 2.2 million hectares of agricultural land was flooded, representing 26 percent 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.



UK Foreign Secretary Visits Syria, Renewing Ties After 14 Years of Conflict

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) welcoming with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the Syrian capital Damascus on July 5, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) welcoming with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the Syrian capital Damascus on July 5, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
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UK Foreign Secretary Visits Syria, Renewing Ties After 14 Years of Conflict

A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) welcoming with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the Syrian capital Damascus on July 5, 2025. (SANA / AFP)
A handout picture released by the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) shows Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa (R) welcoming with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in the Syrian capital Damascus on July 5, 2025. (SANA / AFP)

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy met in Damascus on Saturday with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking the restoration of relations after 14 years of tension during Syria's conflict and Assad family rule.

Syria has been improving relations with Western countries following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December in an offensive led by al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group.

Al-Sharaa’s office said Lammy and the president discussed mutual relations and ways of boosting cooperation and the latest regional and international developments. Lammy later met his Syrian counterpart, Asaad al-Shaibani, state media reported.

A statement issued by Britain's foreign office said the visit showed London's commitment to support Syria as the new government seeks to rebuild the country's economy, deliver an inclusive political transition and forge a path to justice for the victims of the Assad government.

It added that there will be new UK funding to assist with the removal of Assad-era chemical weapons and provide urgent humanitarian assistance in Syria, to bolster UK and Middle East security and tackle irregular migration. The statement said the British government wants to ensure that the ISIS group's territorial defeat “endures, and they can never resurge.”

ISIS once controlled large parts of Syria and Iraq, where it planned attacks worldwide. It was defeated in Syria in March 2019 when the extremists lost the last sliver of land they once controlled.

The statement said Britain's support for Syria is set to continue, with the additional 94.5 million pounds ($129 million) package announced Saturday. It will provide urgent humanitarian aid to Syrians, support Syria’s longer-term recovery through education and livelihoods, and support countries hosting Syrian refugees in the region.

This handout photo released by the Lebanese Presidency press office on July 5, 2025 shows Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun (R) receiving British Foreign Secretary David Lammy at the presidential palace in Baabda. (Lebanese Presidency / AFP)

In April, the British government lifted sanctions against a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and media outlets, to help the country rebuild after Assad's ouster. Weeks earlier, the UK had dropped sanctions against two dozen Syrian businesses, mostly banks and oil companies.

Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending many American economic sanctions on Syria, following through on a promise he made to al-Sharaa.

Syria’s new leaders have been struggling to rebuild the country’s decimated economy and infrastructure after nearly 14 years of civil war that has killed half a million people. In recent months, al-Sharaa visited oil-rich regional countries and France in May in his first visit to the Europe Union.

Also on Saturday, Lammy met in Beirut with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and they discussed the situation along the Lebanon-Israel border following the 14-month Israel-Hezbollah war.

A statement issued by Aoun's office, quoted the Lebanese leader as telling Lammy that Beirut plans to raise the number of Lebanese troops along the border with Israel to 10,000. Aoun added that the only armed sides on the Lebanese side of the border will be Lebanon's national army and UN peacekeepers.