KASSALA: Amna Hussein sat grieving in a disaster relief tent in eastern Sudan, where she fled with her children after deadly floods displaced thousands in a country already reeling from war.
“My father died in the floods,” Hussein said in Kassala, a state on the border with Eritrea.
Sudan has experienced an intense rainy season since last month, with intermittent torrential flooding mainly in the country’s north and east.
Authorities have not released an updated death toll, but 34 people have died in the northern town of Abu Hamad alone, according to the Sudanese Red Crescent.
“All our houses have collapsed. Mine has been totally destroyed. We’re sitting in the street with nowhere to go,” flood victim Umm Ayman Zakarya Adam told AFP in Abu Hamad.
Authorities in Kassala on Friday issued an “urgent call” to the international community, asking for “immediate assistance to rescue victims” of the flooding.
They said that in Kassala “thousands of people have been affected by the floods which have destroyed many homes.”
Every year between May and October peak flow on the Nile is accompanied by torrential rains, destroying homes, wrecking infrastructure and claiming lives, both directly and through water-borne diseases.
The impact is expected to be worse this year after nearly 16 months of fighting that has displaced millions of people into flood zones.
In Wadi Halfa, in the north of the country, near the Egyptian border, “around 3,000 homes and health facilities were severely damaged,” according to local authorities.
“I’m speaking to you from a hilltop where my family and dozens of others took shelter last night after we were completely surrounded by rising waters,” said Mohammed Othman, a resident of Wadi Halfa, speaking to AFP by phone.
Flood-hit communities
More than 73,000 Sudanese have been affected by the floods, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Among those, over 21,000 have been displaced and 14,300 had their homes destroyed.
In Kassala, despite health authorities spraying insecticide at the displacement camps, an AFP journalist reported that swarms of flies were making living conditions even more difficult for the displaced.
A doctor in Kassala, who spoke on condition of anonymity, reported a rise in cases of diarrhea, particularly among children.
Medical worker have said this may indicate a rise in cholera, which health authorities have struggled to control with the war decimating Sudan’s health care system.
Since April of last year, a war between the Sudanese army, led by General Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), commanded by his former deputy General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions of people both within and outside of Sudan.
Both sides are accused of war crimes, including the deliberate targeting of civilians and blocking of aid, worsening the country’s already stark humanitarian crisis.
According to the UN, more than 260,000 people have been displaced to Kassala state by the war.
Massive displacement
Omar Babiker and his family took refuge in Kassala after the RSF arrived on their doorstep in Sudan’s central Al-Jazira state.
The floods forced Babiker to move again to a camp for the displaced, where he is still vulnerable to the rains.
“The floods caught up with us when the waters surrounded our tents,” he told AFP.
In Aroma, a town 40 kilometers (25 miles) to the east of Kassala, floods submerged entire houses, forcing residents to take refuge on a roadside.
Humanitarian organizations have warned that the rainy season could isolate entire regions, making rescue efforts even more difficult.
“Some have been displaced three or four times since the start of the conflict. They have lost their belongings, including food rations,” said Olga Sarrado, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency (UNHCR).
They “are facing significant challenges in accessing clean water and sanitation facilities, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases,” she added.
To the west of Kassala, white tents stretch out over five square kilometers (two square miles).
“These tents don’t protect us from the rain,” said Fathiya Mohammed, a displaced mother trying to light a fire despite the ever-present dampness.
Like others in her situation, Mohammed counts on a single daily meal distributed by a kitchen staffed by volunteers.
“We know it’s not enough, but it’s all we can provide,” a volunteer said.
Deadly floods in war-torn Sudan displace thousands
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Deadly floods in war-torn Sudan displace thousands
- Authorities in Kassala on Friday issued an “urgent call” to the international community, asking for “immediate assistance to rescue victims”
UN to bolster UNIFIL for post-truce support in Lebanon, peacekeeping chief says
Lacroix said the peacekeeping mission would work with the Lebanese army to “support the implementation of a settlement
BEIRUT: The United Nations intends to bolster its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon to better support the Lebanese army once a truce is agreed but would not directly enforce a ceasefire, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said on Thursday.
The peacekeeping mission known as UNIFIL is deployed in southern Lebanon to monitor the demarcation line with Israel, an area that has seen more than a year of hostilities between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.
Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting have centered on UN resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between the two heavily-armed foes in 2006 and requires Hezbollah to remove fighters and weapons from areas between the border and the Litani River, which runs about 30 km (around 20 miles) from Lebanon’s southern border.
Israel has for years accused UNIFIL of failing to implement the resolution, and now says peacekeepers must get out of the way as Israeli troops fight Hezbollah. UNIFIL troops have refused to leave their posts, despite repeated Israeli attacks that have wounded peacekeepers.
“I think that has to be very clear. Implementing the 1701 is the responsibility of the parties,” said Lacroix, speaking to reporters on a three-day visit to Lebanon. “UNIFIL has a supportive role, and there is a lot of substance in that supporting role.”
Lacroix said the peacekeeping mission would work with the Lebanese army to “support the implementation of a settlement” and was already in discussions with contributing nations to assess UNIFIL’s needs, including with advanced technology, without necessarily increasing troop numbers.
Following a truce, UNIFIL’s capacities could be expanded to include clearing explosive devices and reopening roads.
“We don’t necessarily think in terms of numbers, we think in terms of what would be the needs and how could they be fulfilled,” he said.
Lacroix said the UN and several member states have repeatedly called on all parties to ensure the safety of peacekeepers and that while incidents had not stopped, they had not increased following international condemnation.
The United Nations intends to bolster its peacekeeping mission in Lebanon to better support the Lebanese army once a truce is agreed but would not directly enforce a ceasefire, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said on Thursday. (AFP/File)
Lebanon says at least three killed in Israeli strike on Baalbek
- A ministry statement said body parts were recovered from the site
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s health ministry said at least three people were killed in an Israeli strike Thursday on the main eastern city of Baalbek.
“The Israeli enemy strike... in Baalbek killed three people, in an initial toll,” a ministry statement said, adding that “body parts were recovered from the site and their identities are being verified.”
Cafe in Libya champions recycling and sustainability
- Lamma, which means “gathering” or “hangout” in Arabic, has become a cultural hub for locals and other visitors
- Its central mission, its owner said, is raising awareness of an eco-friendly lifestyle in Libya
TRIPOLI: In Libya’s capital, a cafe’s sleek exterior gives little hint of the vibrant space inside, built entirely from recycled materials to promote sustainability in a country recovering from years of war.
Lamma, which means “gathering” or “hangout” in Arabic, has become a cultural hub for locals and other visitors, featuring an art gallery that showcases Libyan artists, and hosts events and workshops.
But its central mission, its owner said, is raising awareness of an eco-friendly lifestyle in Libya, where green initiatives are scarce as people grapple with the aftermath of a gruelling conflict.
“We use materials that were abandoned in the streets, such as rubber from tires, wood from trees and construction waste” to build the cafe, said Louay Omran Burwais, an architect who designed and founded Lamma.
“The idea is to show people that what is thrown in the street and may seem ugly or useless is actually still valuable,” he told AFP.
Libya was hurled into war after a NATO-backed uprising led to the overthrow and killing of dictator Muammar Qaddafi, followed by years of fighting between militias, mercenaries and jihadists.
Power remains split between a UN-recognized government and a rival authority in the east.
Behind the long, narrow door into Lamma, visitors are greeted with a kaleidoscope of colors and shapes.
The plant-covered walls contrast with a web of suspended metal scraps, alcoves and slide tunnels that children swoop down through.
“There are no places like this in Libya,” said Roula Ajjawi, Lamma’s art director. “We base everything on one aspect that we consider very important: recycling.”
Families gather at Lamma on Thursdays, the start of the Libyan weekend, when the cafe holds art workshops for children.
Others borrow books from the venue’s small library.
Burwais says his team hopes recycling and other eco-friendly practices, which remain rare, start up in Libya, which currently has no recycling facilities.
Visitors to Lamma will recognize familiar everyday objects repurposed throughout the space, Burwais said, but they will “start seeing them differently. We are here to foster a new mindset.”
In Libya, the plastic, metal, and glass left from over a decade of civil war destruction are rarely, if ever, reused or recycled, Ajjawi said.
More often, they are abandoned in nature and on the streets, occasionally washed into the Mediterranean by rain and wind.
But with initiatives like Lamma, objects once destined for the landfill are transformed into works of art — a concept now catching on with locals.
“I love this place,” said Riyad Youssef, now a Lamma regular. “The food is great, the service is excellent, and I appreciate the commitment to reducing waste. Every idea here is amazing.”
Turkiye probes event spending in opposition-run cities
- The office said late on Wednesday it would investigate “irregular spendings“
- The Ankara chief prosecutor’s office has also launched an investigation into two concerts
ISTANBUL: The Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office has opened a probe into allegations of illicit expenditures at some public events organized by the Istanbul municipality, marking the latest legal challenge to opposition-run districts in Turkiye.
The office said late on Wednesday it would investigate “irregular spendings” to determine whether the public experienced financial harm, without elaborating.
The Ankara chief prosecutor’s office has also launched an investigation into two concerts organized by the Ankara municipality on Republic Day celebrations on Oct. 29.
The municipalities, which are Turkiye’s two largest cities and both run by the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), deny the allegations.
Speaking at a career fair on Thursday, Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu — who is seen as a potential future challenger to President Tayyip Erdogan — said the probes amounted to “reputation assassination.” The Istanbul municipality did not comment further on the probe when contacted by Reuters.
Late last month the CHP mayor of Istanbul’s Esenyurt district was arrested and accused of belonging to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), charges he and his party reject.
Since then, the interior ministry dismissed and replaced elected mayors from the pro-Kurdish DEM party in some southeastern cities for alleged ties to militants, charges they and their party also deny.
Israeli attacks on Syria’s Damascus kill 15, state media says
- The buildings are located in the suburbs of Mazzeh and Qudsaya, both west of the capital, the SANA report said
DUBAI: Fifteen people were killed and 16 injured in Israeli attacks on a number of residential buildings in suburbs of the Syrian capital Damascus on Thursday, state news agency SANA reported, citing a Syrian military source.
The buildings are located in the suburbs of Mazzeh and Qudsaya, both west of the capital, the SANA report said.
Israeli army radio said the targets of the attack in Damascus were a headquarters of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad and what it described as other assets, without elaborating.
Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but has ramped up such raids since last year’s Oct. 7 attack by Palestinian group Hamas on Israeli territory that sparked the Gaza war.
Commanders in Lebanon’s Hezbollah armed group and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards based in Syria have been known to reside in Mazzeh, according to residents who fled after recent strikes that killed some key figures from the groups.
Mazzeh’s high rise blocks have been used by the authorities in the past to house leaders of Palestinian factions including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.