Deadly Floods in War-torn Sudan Displace Thousands

Sudanese authorities have made an "urgent call" to the international community for help - AFP
Sudanese authorities have made an "urgent call" to the international community for help - AFP
TT

Deadly Floods in War-torn Sudan Displace Thousands

Sudanese authorities have made an "urgent call" to the international community for help - AFP
Sudanese authorities have made an "urgent call" to the international community for help - AFP

Amna Hussein sat grieving in a disaster relief tent in eastern Sudan, where she fled with her children after deadly floods displaced thousands in a country already reeling from war.

"My father died in the floods," Hussein said in Kassala, a state on the border with Eritrea, AFP reported.

Sudan has experienced an intense rainy season since last month, with intermittent torrential flooding mainly in the country's north and east.

Authorities have not released an updated death toll, but 34 people have died in the northern town of Abu Hamad alone, according to the Sudanese Red Crescent.

"All our houses have collapsed. Mine has been totally destroyed. We're sitting in the street with nowhere to go," flood victim Umm Ayman Zakarya Adam told AFP in Abu Hamad.

Authorities in Kassala on Friday issued an "urgent call" to the international community, asking for "immediate assistance to rescue victims" of the flooding.

They said that in Kassala "thousands of people have been affected by the floods which have destroyed many homes."

Every year between May and October peak flow on the Nile is accompanied by torrential rains, destroying homes, wrecking infrastructure and claiming lives, both directly and through water-borne diseases.

The impact is expected to be worse this year after nearly 16 months of fighting that has displaced millions of people into flood zones.

In Wadi Halfa, in the north of the country, near the Egyptian border, "around 3,000 homes and health facilities were severely damaged," according to local authorities.

"I'm speaking to you from a hilltop where my family and dozens of others took shelter last night after we were completely surrounded by rising waters," said Mohammed Othman, a resident of Wadi Halfa, speaking to AFP by phone.

More than 73,000 Sudanese have been affected by the floods, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

Among those, over 21,000 have been displaced and 14,300 had their homes destroyed.

In Kassala, despite health authorities spraying insecticide at the displacement camps, an AFP journalist reported that swarms of flies were making living conditions even more difficult for the displaced.

A doctor in Kassala, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported a rise in cases of diarrhoea, particularly among children.

Medical worker have said this may indicate a rise in cholera, which health authorities have struggled to control with the war decimating Sudan's healthcare system.

Since April of last year, a war between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by his former deputy General Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions of people both within and outside of Sudan.

Both sides are accused of war crimes, including the deliberate targeting of civilians and blocking of aid, worsening the country's already stark humanitarian crisis.

According to the UN, more than 260,000 people have been displaced to Kassala state by the war.

Omar Babiker and his family took refuge in Kassala after the RSF arrived on their doorstep in Sudan's central Al-Jazira state.

The floods forced Babiker to move again to a camp for the displaced, where he is still vulnerable to the rains.

"The floods caught up with us when the waters surrounded our tents," he told AFP.

In Aroma, a town 40 kilometres (25 miles) to the east of Kassala, floods submerged entire houses, forcing residents to take refuge on a roadside.

Humanitarian organizations have warned that the rainy season could isolate entire regions, making rescue efforts even more difficult.

"Some have been displaced three or four times since the start of the conflict. They have lost their belongings, including food rations," said Olga Sarrado, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).

They "are facing significant challenges in accessing clean water and sanitation facilities, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases," she added.

To the west of Kassala, white tents stretch out over five square kilometres (two square miles).

"These tents don't protect us from the rain," said Fathiya Mohammed, a displaced mother trying to light a fire despite the ever-present dampness.

Like others in her situation, Mohammed counts on a single daily meal distributed by a kitchen staffed by volunteers.



Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
TT

Atrocities in Sudan's El-Fasher were 'Preventable Human Rights Catastrophe'

Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese displaced people who left El Fasher after its fall, sit in the shade in Tawila at the Rwanda camp reception point on December 17, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The atrocities unleashed on El-Fasher in Sudan's Darfur region last October were a "preventable human rights catastrophe", the United Nations said Monday, warning they now risked being repeated in the neighbouring Kordofan region.

"My office sounded the alarm about the risk of mass atrocities in the besieged city of El-Fasher for more than a year ... but our warnings were ignored," UN rights chief Volker Turk told the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

He added that he was now "extremely concerned that these violations and abuses may be repeated in the Kordofan region".


Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
TT

Arab League Condemns Israel's Decisions to Alter Legal, Administrative Status of West Bank

A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)
A general view shows the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League Headquarters (Reuters)

The General Secretariat of the Arab League strongly condemned decisions by Israeli occupation authorities to impose fundamental changes on the legal and administrative status of the occupied Palestinian territories, particularly in the West Bank, describing them as a dangerous escalation and a flagrant violation of international law, international legitimacy resolutions, and signed agreements, SPA reported.

In a statement, the Arab League said the measures include facilitating the confiscation of private Palestinian property and transferring planning and licensing authorities in the city of Hebron and the area surrounding the Ibrahimi Mosque to occupation authorities.

It warned of the serious repercussions of these actions on the rights of the Palestinian people and on Islamic and Christian holy sites.

The statement reaffirmed the Arab League’s firm support for the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the establishment of their independent state on the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.


UN: 53 Migrants Dead or Missing in Shipwreck Off Libya

(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
TT

UN: 53 Migrants Dead or Missing in Shipwreck Off Libya

(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)
(FILES) Migrants sit on board a RHIB (Rigid inflatable boat) after being evacuated by crew members of the “Ocean Viking” rescue ship from the oil tanker the 'Maridive 703' in the search-and-rescue zone of the international waters between Malta and Tunisia, on December 31, 2025. (Photo by Sameer Al-DOUMY / AFP)

The UN migration agency on Monday said 53 people were dead or missing after a boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast. Only two survivors were rescued.

The International Organization for Migration said the boat overturned north of Zuwara on Friday.

"Only two Nigerian women were rescued during a search-and-rescue operation by Libyan authorities," the IOM said in a statement, adding that one of the survivors said she lost her husband and the other said "she lost her two babies in the tragedy.”

According to AFP, the IOM said its teams provided the two survivors with emergency medical care upon disembarkation.

"According to survivor accounts, the boat -- carrying migrants and refugees of African nationalities departed from Al-Zawiya, Libya, at around 11:00 pm on February 5. Approximately six hours later, it capsized after taking on water," the agency said.

"IOM mourns the loss of life in yet another deadly incident along the Central Mediterranean route."

The Geneva-based agency said trafficking and smuggling networks were exploiting migrants along the route from north Africa to southern Europe, profiting from dangerous crossings in unseaworthy boats while exposing people to "severe abuse.”

It called for stronger international cooperation to tackle the networks, alongside safe and regular migration pathways to reduce risks and save lives.