Thousands of people are stranded on the streets of the eastern Sudanese city of Kassala as torrential rains exacerbate the suffering of more than a million Sudanese who sought refuge in the region from a 15-month-old war, Reuters reports.
The rainy season, which began earlier this month, has already damaged shelters, rendered roads unusable, and put millions at risk of water-borne diseases across large areas of the country.
This crisis unfolds as the number of displaced people within Sudan, now over 10 million, continues to rise. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been expanding their territory in the ongoing conflict with the national army.
The war, which erupted in April 2023, has triggered warnings of famine and has been labelled the world’s largest humanitarian crisis by the United Nations.
Approximately 765,000 people are sheltering in Gedaref state, and more than 255,000 people are in Kassala state, which experienced the heaviest rains over the weekend, according to the United Nations.
The latest wave of 165,000 displaced people has come from Sennar state, many arriving on foot in the rain in recent weeks. More than 10,000 who arrived in Kassala city have crowded into the few remaining empty buildings, including a school courtyard and an empty hangar, which quickly flooded.
They now wait under store awnings or tarps in the street, with heavier-than-usual rains expected to continue until September. Some have rejected a plan to move them outside the city due to the lack of income opportunities there, according to a government official and aid workers.
“We are waiting in the street and have nowhere to settle,” said Hussein Abdo, another displaced person.
At least five people have reportedly died due to the rains, according to the United Nations.
Those who arrived earlier from Khartoum or El Gezira state, or in slightly drier Al-Gedaref, are not much better off, sleeping on the floor in schools with few services and makeshift, shallow toilets that have also flooded.
Little was done to prepare for the situation, said Mohammed Qazilbash of Plan International.
The government and aid workers are bracing for an expected rise in water-borne diseases, including cholera, malaria, and dengue fever, with few medicines to treat them.
“We are sharing what is available, but it is above our capacity,” said Dr. Ali Adam, head of the state Health Ministry.
The rainy season impacts most of the country. Last week, more than 1,000 houses and 800 latrines were destroyed by rain at Zamzam camp in North Darfur, one of the locations where experts say famine is likely.
Meanwhile, the RSF’s advance continues unabated. On Monday, the RSF reported reaching an area about 180km (112 miles) from Gedaref, one of the states sheltering the most displaced people.
Kassala, the only neighbouring state controlled by the army, lacks the capacity to absorb people from Gedaref, nor does the army’s de facto capital, Port Sudan, on the Red Sea.