Seasonal floods devastate parts of Uganda, Sudan

Flash floods in Sudan have killed 12 people over the past week, according to official reports, bringing the death toll to 112 since the start of the rainy season in May. According to the United Nation's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the rain and floods have destroyed at least 16,400 homes and damaged another 42,200 in 16 out of the 18 states.

"People have lost over 2,150 heads of livestock, and over 5,100 hectares of agricultural land have been affected by the floods, which will exasperate the already worrying levels of food insecurity people across the country are facing" the UN agency said in a statement on Monday.

Speaking in Sudan's capital Khartoum on Monday, Abdul-Jalil Abdul-Rahim, the spokesperson for Sudan's National Council for Civil Defense said that the downpours, which began earlier than normal this year, also inundated hospitals, schools, and other government facilities across the country.

He added that the reported deaths included 74 people who drowned, 32 who died when their homes collapsed and 6 who died of electrocution.

In Uganda, homes were damaged or destroyed and several lives were lost after heavy rain in the Western Region of the country caused flash floods and landslides.

Uganda Red Cross reported that heavy rain on September 2 triggered landslides in villages in the western Kisoro District. At least 8 houses were destroyed or damaged, displacing or affecting 37 people. Red Cross teams were carrying out further damage assessments.

Last month, the Uganda Red Cross reported that floods in eastern parts of the country, resulting from torrential rain, killed at least 24 people.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the Horn of Africa region is expected to be severely affected by the effects of climate change, including severe droughts and flash floods. Weather-related disasters are leaving local communities to become more vulnerable, eroding their coping strategies and, with it, displacement.

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