16-22 August 2026 Sudan News Summary: water crisis, waves of displacement

23 Aug

Arabic news roundup

By William Greenwood

A member of the Al-Jureif East Emergency Rooms warned of an escalating water crisis in the East Nile locality of Khartoum, citing ongoing power outages and the reliance of many localities on local wells and unsafe water sources—raising fears of waterborne disease outbreaks during the rainy season.
Several East Nile neighbourhoods still rely primarily on local wells, as internal distribution networks remain unconnected to the main water sources supplied by the Bahri and Al-Muqrin stations.
Prolonged power outages have disrupted well operations, forcing residents and community-led initiatives to turn to solar power to keep some of them running.
Many residents are compelled to purchase water transported by donkey-drawn carts or travel long distances to fetch it from other neighbourhoods.
The Emergency Rooms member criticised the lack of government intervention to repair well malfunctions and provide sustainable water sources, noting that most maintenance work and solar power installations were carried out through community efforts, with contributions from expatriates, organisations, and private citizens.
Meanwhile, residents of Khartoum State have complained of widespread chaos in the public transport sector, pointing to the absence of standardised fares and the fact that vehicle owners set their own prices without oversight, with most preferring to operate on long-distance routes.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has announced the displacement of approximately 200,000 additional people in Sudan recently, driven by escalating fighting and floods.
The organisation stated that the number of internally displaced persons has risen to 8.6 million.
These new waves of displacement coincide with the expanding scope of conflict in Sudan, particularly in the states of North and South Kordofan, Darfur, and Blue Nile, where clashes are occurring on multiple fronts between the SAF, the RSF, and their respective allies.
The IOM added that disruptions to global supply chains, particularly in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, have hindered the delivery of humanitarian aid and placed increased strain on relief operations.
It also noted that attacks targeting the main electrical substation in the city of El Obeid caused prolonged power outages, affecting water supplies, health services, and communication networks.
In North Darfur, heavy rains in the Tawila area have destroyed or damaged approximately 1,350 homes, displacing more than a thousand families over the past week.

Bill Greenwood