A dam has collapsed in northeastern Sudan, leading to catastrophic flooding as the country grapples with heavy rainfall. This was confirmed by the Ministry of Health in a press release late Sunday night. The Arbaat Dam, located north of Port Sudan, has broken down, resulting in four confirmed fatalities and sweeping homes away in the floodwaters. The ministry reported that resources have been dispatched to the area to assist those stranded.
According to a local official cited by the Sudanese media outlet al-Taghyeer, the death toll could rise to at least 60 people, with many more individuals missing. Local resident Ali Issa told Al Jazeera that he had received information about people trapped in vehicles due to the floodwaters. “There were seven trucks with families, elderly people, and children,” he said. “We came to see what had happened but could not reach the dam.”
The Arbaat Dam is the primary water supply for Port Sudan, which has become the administrative capital as fighting rages in Khartoum. The Sudanese army has been battling the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, a conflict that has led to massive displacement and suffering among the Sudanese population.
Port Sudan and the surrounding areas are facing severe water shortages as a consequence of the dam collapse, according to Al Jazeera’s Hiba Morgan. Local media reports suggest that the dam collapsed on Saturday evening due to heavy rain, but accurate information has been difficult to obtain because of issues with mobile networks.
Arbaat is located 40 kilometers north of Port Sudan and is part of Sudan’s system of dams that help manage the flooding where the two upper branches of the Nile meet in the country. Sudan has been affected by heavy rain and flooding since late June, and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that the adverse weather has impacted around 317,000 people (56,450 families) across 16 states.
The most affected states include North Darfur, Nile, and West Darfur, according to OCHA. The heavy rainfall has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis already caused by the ongoing conflict. In addition to a rising food crisis, Sudan is also grappling with a cholera outbreak, as floodwaters contaminate drinking water sources.