KHARTOUM/ABU DHABI, Aug 21 (NNN-AGENCIES) — UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed ordered $6.8 million (AED 25 million) of humanitarian aid to Sudan after floods killed at least 79 and destroyed over 14,500 houses.
“The directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed to provide such assistance are an expression of the solidarity of the UAE and its people with the Sudanese people in such dire circumstances,” Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Saturday.
The aid is expected to alleviate the suffering of those who were displaced by the floods.
The gesture is said to testify to the “deep-rooted relations” between the two countries, according to the WAM report.
Flash floods triggered by heavy rains continued to tear up homes across Sudan this week, with the death toll rising to 79 since the start of the rainy season.
Earlier this week, authorities had said that at least 50 people were killed since the rains started in June.
Brig. Gen. Abdul-Jalil Abdul-Rahim, spokesman for Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defense, said that at least 28 people were reported injured during the same period.
Overall, around 136,000 people have been impacted by heavy rainfall and floods in 12 of Sudan’s 18 provinces, according to the government-run Humanitarian Aid Commission.
Sudan’s rainy season usually starts in June and lasts until the end of September, with floods peaking in August and September.
More than 80 people were killed last year in flood-related incidents during the rainy season.
In 2020, authorities declared Sudan a natural disaster area and imposed a three-month state of emergency across the country after flooding and heavy rains killed around 100 people and inundated over 100,000 houses.
