MP warns of flooding in the south

A Sudanese MP warned on 24 August that authorities trying to tackle flooding in northern Sudan had overlooked the problem of rising waters in the south, the ‘Khartoum Monitor’ reported. In a letter to the newspaper, the MP for Juba North Constituency, Muhammad al-Hajj Baballah, said the towns of Luri, Mongalla, and some islands south of Terakeka along the White Nile had been badly affected by flooding. People in those areas had lost their animals and crops and needed immediate supplies of food and drugs, he said. “I have been appealing on behalf of the state government of Bahr al-Jabal for assistance and provision of authorities with the necessary information. But the state has only given 1,000 canvas sheets, while the number of victims is over 4,000,” Baballah stated. Meanwhile, Sudan TV reported on Saturday that flooding along the Nile had destroyed more than 3,500 houses, 40 schools and 60 health centres in the Al-Shurayq region of Nile River State, northern Sudan. Crops, grain stores, and livestock had all been lost, and thousands of families had been forced to leave their homes, Sudan TV said.