Sudan Humanitarian Bulletin Issue 15 | 6 – 19 August 2018 [EN/AR]

HIGHLIGHTS

• Heavy rains and flash floods have affected over 142,000 people across Sudan.

• About 170,000 vulnerable people in the Abyei Area need humanitarian assistance, UN agencies and partners report.

• Better procurement and supply chain management in Sudan is key to adequate health service delivery.

• Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocates $20 million to Sudan to bridge humanitarian financing gaps.

FIGURES 2018

# people in need in Sudan (2018 HNO) 5.5 million

# people in need in Darfur (2018 HNO) 3.1 million

GAM caseload (2018 HNO) 2.3 million

South Sudanese refugees – total 761.331 Pre-2013 - 352,212 Post-2013 - 409,119 (UNHCR 15 August 2018)

Other refugees and asylum seekers 153,620 UNHCR (31 Jan 2018)

FUNDING

327.5 million US$ received in 2018 32.5% funded (FTS) as of 19 August 2018)

Flash floods damage leaves thousands homeless, without latrines

This year’s rainy season (June – September) continues to take its toll on Sudan’s most vulnerable communities. Heavy rains and consequent flash floods have so far affected more than 142,000 people, damaging households and livelihoods in 14 out of Sudan’s 18 states; West Kordofan, Kassala and Gedaref being the hardest hit, said the country’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) in an ad-hoc meeting of the country’s Floods Taskforce Steering Committee.

Emergency shelter and household supplies, mobile clinics, surveillance, hygiene and health promotion, vector control, and water chlorination are being provided. According to preliminary estimates from HAC, about 109,000 flood-affected people received emergency shelter and non-food supplies from various government institutions, Arab and Islamic charities, international and local NGOs, and other organisations. In terms of food, about 76,000 affected people received various food supplies. While most of the affected in Kassala and West Kordofan have received non-food and food assistance, many floodaffected people in Gedaref and other states need more assistance, according to HAC.

Vital medicines and medical supplies are also pre-positioned to address the needs of up to three million people, as part of the Government’s National Emergency Preparedness Plan for the rainy season.

In late August, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) issued a fourmonth appeal for US$433,000 for West Kordofan and Kassala states.

Several international partners stepped up assistance to flood victims, including the Arab Islamic Organization. In West Kordofan’s El Nuhud town, 30 per cent of the population – 24,000 people – lost their homes in late July, when torrential rains tore through the town, causing the destruction of 2,538 homes, damaging another 2,238, and causing the collapse of some 2,538 latrines and 33 public buildings, including schools, health clinics and government offices.

The Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) allocated in August about US$1.2 million of its emergency reserves to mitigate the situation of the flood victims in El Nuhud.

Construction of 100 new latrines began, in a partnership between the State Ministry of Health (SMoH) and Concern, an international nongovernmental organization. In addition, some 200 volunteers are working through the Sudanese Red Crescent Society (SRCS) in two of the most flood-affected states.
Annual floods in Sudan occur for a variety of reasons, including poor drainage systems, sub-standard construction and with some of the poor resorting to living in areas prone to flooding. In rural areas – where two-thirds of Sudan’s population of 38.6 million live – extreme dry spells cause the ground to harden and lose its capacity to absorb rain and ground water, increasing the likelihood of flash floods.