The land is narrowing day by day for the Sudanese people across the country. Amid the challenges of livelihood and displacement caused by the expanding war, the River Nile and Northern states have faced a severe wave of floods and torrents following unprecedented rainfall.
This has resulted in numerous casualties, thousands of destroyed homes, all added to the existing displacement crisis. According to the latest update from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Sudan, approximately 167,613 people have been affected by the floods and torrents across the country, with 29,729 homes destroyed and 30,475 individuals displaced.
The devastation also includes crop destruction, damage to agricultural lands, loss of property, as well as health and environmental impacts.
River Nile State
The city of Abu Hamad, located in the northern part of the River Nile State, witnessed unprecedented rainfall and torrents from the eastern and western plains, striking the city and its surrounding villages since early August. Despite warnings from the Early Warning Unit of the Sudan Meteorological Authority, local authorities did not take the necessary precautions. The Sudanese Red Crescent Society recorded 34 fatalities and the complete collapse of 24,104 homes, along with damage to 150 service facilities.
“The water surged powerfully, leading to the collapse of a large number of houses, mostly completely and some partially, with others at risk of collapsing at any moment. The torrents also inundated the large Abu Hamad market, causing severe damage to the shops surrounded by water amid poor or non-existent drainage. Many goods were spoiled, and the internal road network connecting different parts of the city and its markets was also affected,” Mohammed Al-Mansouri, a merchant in the Abu Hamad market, told Atar,
Al-Mansouri described the city’s road infrastructure as fragile, citing the erosion of the bridge connecting the artisanal gold mining market and the city’s neighbourhoods and market, forcing people to use the main canal for crossing.
The road linking Abu Hamad and Atbara, through which goods are transported, was cut off in two places, forcing vehicles headed to Abu Hamad to take a dirt road, which was also made difficult by the torrents, resulting in increased prices and exacerbating the living conditions of the city’s residents and neighbouring villages. In the eastern part of Abu Hamad, the intense water flow has closed the level crossing of Village Ten.
The city of Abu Hamad includes the lower market, aka As-Souq At-tiht, is one of the oldest markets in the city, housing over a thousand shops for vegetables, foodstuffs, and various necessities. Mohammed said, “The lower market has sunk into the ground and vanished.”
In Abu Hamad, the food market and the artisanal mining market are concentrated in a small area, and most residents live in the southern villages. Mohammed Dusougi, a resident of the city, told “Atar”, “The floods and rains have destroyed most of the houses, and the remaining old neighbourhoods of the city are on the verge of collapse. There have also been child fatalities as the water level rose two meters above the ground.”
“People did not expect such heavy rainfall, so most of the buildings are fragile. Over the past twenty years, autumn rains have been sparse, unlike this year, which has displaced most residents into the streets, mosques, and hospitals, as there are no temporary sheltering houses, and the local authorities or organizations have not taken action to address the situation. Even the houses that have not yet collapsed will not withstand continuous rains, and the city could be wiped out entirely.”
Dusougi added, “Since last Monday, the power supply to the city has been cut off, with only one line supplying the hospital and the remaining government facilities. Access to drinking and household water has been disrupted. The torrents have swept away the sewage wells, posing an environmental and health hazard.” He continued to detail the disaster: “We have received reports that floodwaters have carried chemical residues from major mining companies’ operations to the Nile River.”
The residents of Abu Hamad locality have organized repeated sit-ins over the past three years before the war broke out, demanding health, development, and education services and protesting mining activities that have caused the death of dozens of animals, fetal deformities, and increased miscarriage cases. They have held the government accountable for the safety of the people and the land. Despite government committees acknowledging the validity of these complaints, they only issued misleading assurances without taking concrete steps. After the war broke out, mining activities increased, along with the amount of waste (“karta”) processed with mercury or cyanide, as oversight by the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company ceased.
The health system in Abu Hamad city suffers from significant weaknesses in the care provided to residents and a shortage of medical staff. Only minor surgeries are performed, and not all medicines are available, forcing citizens to travel to Atbara for treatment and complex surgeries. Residents fear that the health impacts of the floods, stagnant water, the washing away of harmful substances like mercury and cyanide, and the proliferation of scorpions and harmful insects will worsen.
Northern State
Several areas in the Northern State have suffered from devastating floods and torrents, destroying homes and crops. According to many residents, the rainfall this year far exceeded their expectations and the forecasts compared to previous years. The state’s Ministry of Health announced that 29 people have died, and 125 others have been injured due to the heavy rains and floods that swept through vast areas. The state government declared a state of emergency and recommended the continued closure of schools.
From Ab Dom, located south of Merowe, Montasir recounts to “Atar”, “In past years, we usually experienced floods, but they rarely exceeded the course of the Ab Dom stream, one of the largest streams in the area, channeling water into the Nile and sometimes causing minor damage to farms. In the last two years, however, the rainy season has lengthened, and so has the amount of rain.”
By tracking weather reports, the locals concluded that the climate in the Northern State is changing, leading to a significant increase in rainfall this year. “Because the people in these areas were not accustomed to such prolonged and heavy rainfall, most of the houses were built from local materials that are not equipped to withstand such a rainy season.”
In Merowe locality, the torrential rains and strong winds in the Kasinger and Nouri areas affected the palm trees, and the rains ruined the “rutab” dates, which are known among farmers as “Al-buwwala.”
According to Montasir, all major hospitals are concentrated in the city of Merowe. Since the start of the war, the city has received thousands of displaced people fleeing the horrors of war, leading to a growing demand for medical services. This has affected residents of the surrounding areas, who depended on Merowe’s hospitals for medical care.
In other areas, only small health centers with limited services are available, insufficient to meet the needs of the people, especially under these critical conditions. With the Ab Dom bridge out of service, people are cut off from access to necessary health services, particularly scorpion anti-venoms, which are common in the area during the rainy season, in addition to the spread of eye infections and contamination of the Nile’s water.
“The torrential floodwaters have swept away water supply pipes, creating a drinking water crisis, and the main water station lacks a filtration unit. The rainy season is supposed to end on September 15th, but given the changes we’re witnessing, we don’t know—it may last longer, and more floods might hit us,” Montasir noted, observing a decline in market activity following the flood, especially since most shoppers and merchants in the Merowe market come from the south of the city.
Additionally, the fall of electrical poles and wires due to strong winds has led to power outages for several days, and the waters have washed away part of the road linking Ab Dom and Merowe. Montaser said, “Even after the disaster, the government agencies are not doing what is expected of them towards the citizens who have lost everything. Everyone knows that the locality does not have the tools and equipment to do what is necessary, yet they continue to collect fees and taxes from the residents. So far, no support has been provided by any organization or government agency, and despite what the people are suffering, they are relying on their own efforts and community support to clear roads and drain the water.”
The Ab Dom bridge, which collapsed during the second wave of floods, connects Ab Dom to the city of Merowe and has been in place since the 1980s. It links the southern areas of Merowe, including Ab Dom, Al-Dibeiba, Fatnah, Tangasi, Al-Gureir, Osli, and Ad-Dabba. The parallel bridge on the eastern side also partially collapsed. The collapsed bridge connects all parts of the southern regions with Merowe, where goods and health services are provided. With the bridge out of service, the southern regions of Merowe are now completely isolated and facing shortages of food and medical supplies.
“Our fate is to rise from one calamity to another. From opposing the Kajbar Dam establishment to dealing with mining companies, and now the disaster of the floods and what they bring,” said Ahmed Fathi from the village of Jaddi on the eastern bank of the Nile in Dalgo locality. He told “Atar” that the area has not seen rain for the past three years, and such heavy rainfall has not occurred since 1988.
He added, “The villages around us have been completely destroyed due to the geographical nature of our area and the surrounding regions. The danger lies in the water accumulating in the valleys and plains, flowing towards our crops, and the levees of the agricultural projects that have been destroyed. The water is now heading towards the fragile homes. We never expected to see such heavy rainfall and floods, and the floods have also swept away the road from Halfa to Dongola, through which goods come to the Northern State. Many travelers heading to Halfa have been stranded, remaining on a road three kilometers away from the villages.”
Fathi pointed out that most of the affected areas are located between the Nile and the mountains and lack actual health services, as is the case with all other services: “The existing health centers are small, with only first-aid kits available. For example, the Fereej Rural Hospital, which serves 57 villages, fails to provide any actual health services. Although it is affiliated with the Ministry of Health, the support it receives from the ministry does not meet our needs, given the number of displaced people who have flocked to the area, leading to an unprecedented population density.”
“Some villages, which are small communities of no more than 200 homes, have been leveled to the ground by the rain and floods. For example, the village of Sarkamto and Sai Island in the Abri locality. The floods have surrounded and completely destroyed the homes, and the birds that drank from the water have all perished due to the pollution caused by mining waste from the operations of 190 companies in the area, which is the number of companies counted so far. Most villages relying on the Nile need water, but with the contamination, we don’t know what to do.”
From Jogel in Dalgo locality on the western bank of the Nile, Mohammed Alaa told “Atar”, “We live south of the areas affected by the floods, but we suffer like all Sudanese. The power poles fell, leading to power outages and weak communication networks. Our resources are extremely limited—homes are not equipped for this, and there is no drainage system. We have a small health center that doesn’t meet the growing needs due to the increased population from displacement, and the medical supplies sent by the state health ministry are minimal. It is through our own efforts and contributions from community members abroad that we provide medical supplies, especially scorpion anti-venoms.”
