IDP in Sudan: Suffering Comes from the Skys Rain and the Earths Bullets
Moatinoon
Sudanese internally displaced persons (IDPs), fleeing for more than a year from the horrors of war, find themselves trapped in a double agony—separated from their homes and cities. This is the second rainy season they have experienced since the outbreak of war between the armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces last year, coinciding with the rainy season. As the war, now over a year old, continues to spread, the number of displaced persons has risen to more than 10 million, according to United Nations statistics.
The rains this season have exposed the inadequacy of both the state and humanitarian organizations in addressing the catastrophe faced by the displaced and their host communities. The United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) acknowledged today that the rainy season is exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. The UN organization highlighted the urgent need for more aid to help partners address the crisis, according to a post on their X platform account.
Reports from emergency rooms, which are doing their best to alleviate the crisis, indicate worsening suffering among the displaced stranded on the streets of Kassala city, the states capital, due to heavy rains. Kassala recorded two deaths among the displaced due to severe flooding, one from electrocution and another from a snake bite, according to the citys emergency room. Meanwhile, the Sudanese Ministry of Health reported 12 deaths in eastern states affected by floods and rains.
UNICEF stated that over 10,000 children and families in Kassala have been affected by the rainy season, noting that many recently fled from Sennar State due to recent clashes between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces.
A Reuters news report noted that the rains have increased the suffering of more than a million Sudanese who fled to the region to escape the 15-month-old war. The rainy season, which began earlier this month, has already damaged shelters and rendered roads impassable, putting millions at risk of waterborne diseases in vast areas of the country.
This comes as the number of internally displaced persons in Sudan continues to rise, currently exceeding 10 million, with the expansion of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in areas they control in the war against the national army.
According to the United Nations, about 765,000 people have arrived in Gedaref State, and more than 255,000 in Kassala State, which experienced the worst rains over the weekend.
The latest wave of displacement includes 165,000 people from Sennar State, many of whom arrived on foot in recent weeks. Over 10,000 people have reached Kassala city, where they are crammed into the few remaining empty buildings, including a schoolyard and a quickly flooded empty hangar.
One displaced woman said, "We endured the sun beating down on us, but we cant endure the rain." Another displaced person said, "Were waiting on the street with no place to stay."
Now, they wait under umbrellas or covers in the streets, where heavy rains are expected to continue longer than usual until September. Some refused a plan to move them out of the city, where there would be no opportunities to make a living, according to a government official and aid workers.
Those who arrived earlier from Khartoum or Al Jazeera State, or from drier areas like Gedaref, are not in better condition, sleeping on the ground in schools with scarce services and temporary toilets also flooded.
Mohammed Qazi El-Bash, from Plan International, told Reuters, "Were nearing 500 days of war, and everyone is exhausted... its one tragedy after another."
As the government and aid workers prepare for an expected increase in waterborne diseases, including cholera, malaria, and dengue fever, with a shortage of medications to treat them, Dr. Ali Adam, head of the state Ministry of Health, said, "Were sharing whats available, but it exceeds our capacity."
The rainy season is affecting most parts of the country. Last week, rains destroyed more than 1,000 homes and 800 toilets in the Zamzam camp in North Darfur, one of the sites in the country experts say is at risk of famine.
A volunteer in the emergency room in Gedaref said, "People are scared, but there are no options; they are waiting for their fate, and other cities are full."
