At least 30 people have died, and the number of casualties is expected to rise significantly following a dam collapse in eastern Sudan, the United Nations reported on Monday. The Arbaat Dam, located 40 km north of Port Sudan, burst on Sunday after torrential rains, leading to devastating floods that obliterated 20 villages and severely impacted the homes of 50,000 people.
The flooding has further exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in a region already suffering from months of civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Omar Eissa Haroun, head of the water authority for Red Sea state, described the area as “unrecognisable,” with the destruction of vital infrastructure, including electricity and water supply lines.
Local authorities reported that between 150 and 200 people remain missing, with first responders discovering the bodies of gold miners and remnants of their equipment scattered by the deluge. The disaster has drawn comparisons to last year’s catastrophic flooding in Derna, Libya, which claimed thousands of lives.
The Arbaat Dam was a crucial water source for Port Sudan, home to the country’s main Red Sea port and working airport. With the dam’s collapse, the Sudanese Environmentalists Association warned of an impending water crisis, stating that “the city is threatened with thirst in the coming days.”
The dam had been under significant strain due to silt buildup and heavy rains that arrived much earlier than usual. Sudan’s infrastructure, already in disrepair before the conflict, has deteriorated further as resources have been diverted towards the ongoing war, leaving critical structures vulnerable.
As the situation continues to unfold, the government’s rainy season taskforce reported that the death toll from floods across the country has reached 132, with 118,000 people displaced by the rains this year. The conflict, which began in April 2023, has left half of Sudan’s 50 million population without sufficient food, with international ceasefire efforts failing to halt the violence.
