Deadly flooding adds new danger to communities fleeing Sahel violence

The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) is stepping up response in Africa’s Sahel region where escalating violence has forced a rising number of people to flee their homes. 

Several thousand people, mostly internally displaced persons (IDPs), have been affected as heavy rains and floods inundated parts of Kassala province in eastern Sudan, inflicting further misery on communities already vulnerable due to ongoing conflict, UN agencies have reported.

The UN and humanitarian partners have provided emergency support for over 124,000 people in Kenya, where heavy rains continue to cause chaos, the UN said on Wednesday, as the UN chief extended his condolences to countries across the region where hundreds of lives have been lost in recent days due to flooding.