Sudan: 2022 Flood Response Update 03 (As of 30 November 2022)

This update provides a summary of humanitarian response given to people affected by floods during the June - September rainy period in Sudan. It is the final response update for this season.

SITUATION OVERVIEW

The number of people affected by seasonal rains and flash floods across Sudan has remained constant at 349,000 since 26 September, according to the Government’s Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC), humanitarian organisations on the ground, and local authorities. At least 24,860 homes have been destroyed and 48,250 homes damaged in 16 of the 18 states. The National Council for Civil Defence reports that 146 people died and 122 people were injured since the beginning of the rainy season in May.

The most affected states are South Darfur (79,937 people), Gedaref (64,685 people), Central Darfur (41,747), White Nile (34,357), and Kassala (25,890). The other affected states are Northern (18,046), West Darfur (17,354), River Nile (16,572), North Kordofan (15,235), Aj Jazirah (8,715), West Kordofan (6,030),
South Kordofan (5,768), Sennar (5,379), and East Darfur (3,650), with more limited impact in Khartoum (2,741), and North Darfur (2,621).

People have reportedly lost over 4,800 heads of livestock, and over 12,100 feddans (about 5,100 hectares) of agricultural land have been affected by floods. This will exacerbate the already worrying levels of food insecurity people across the country face.

The rainy season in Sudan usually starts in June and lasts up to September, with the peak of rains and flooding observed between August and September. Annually, an average of 388,600 people were affected by floods between 2017 and 2021. This year, the number of flood-affected people surpassed those affected in 2021 (about 314,500).

CHALLENGES DURING THE RAINY SEASON:

• Conflict, violence and insecurity delayed humanitarian assistance in Darfur, Kordofan and Blue Nile states.

• Attacks and looting of humanitarian supplies have affected overall and flood response across the country. In Aj Jazirah State, non-food items (NFIs) belonging to an NGO were looted by unknown people on the road between El Managil and Al Jamusi in September. These NFIs were sent to support people affected by floods in Aj Jazirah.

• Humanitarian assistance targeting flood-affected people faces challenges due to administrative and bureaucratic impediments. The lack of blanket travel permits, and other access impediments delayed the delivery of humanitarian assistance across the country.
  Humanitarians have to wait for about three working days to get travel permits.

• Lack of funding impacted the delivery of life-saving humanitarian assistance. By the end of September 2022, US$682.1 million (35.2 per cent) of the 2022 Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) requirement of $1.94 billion was received. The lack of funding has forced partners to prioritise the most affected vulnerable populations for humanitarian assistance. With a balance at zero, the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) relied entirely on its rapid response funding, releasing in September 2022 almost $2 million targeting the states most affected by floods. In October 2022, a Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) allocation of $6 million addressing the floods was processed.