CAIRO: Flooding across Sudan has killed at least 20 people over the past week, Sudanese officials announced Thursday, raising the official death-toll from the floods since the rainy season began in May to 134.
The office of Brig. Gen. Abdul-Jalil Abdul-Rahim, the leader of Sudan’s National Council for Civil Defense, said an additional 120 people were injured from the past week’s flooding.
Torrential downpours throughout August and early September — the peak of Sudan’s rainy season — have washed away roads, houses, and vital infrastructure across the country, cutting off supply lines to rural areas in need of humanitarian aid. According to the United Nations’ latest flooding report, some 286,400 people have been affected by the floods and 16,900 homes have been destroyed.
The civil defense council said this year’s deaths included 74 people who drowned, 32 who died when their homes collapsed, and six who were killed in water-related electrocutions.
The rural east and west of the country have been the most affected by this year’s downpours. On Wednesday, Sudan’s state media outlet, SUNA, reported that a newly built sugar factory near the eastern city of Kassala collapsed under heavy rainfall.
In 2020, flooding and heavy rains killed around 100 people and damaged more than 100,000 houses.
Sudan’s summer flooding continues, raising death toll to 134
https://arab.news/7jgzd
Sudan’s summer flooding continues, raising death toll to 134
- An additional 120 people were injured from the past week’s flooding
- According to the UN’s latest flooding report, some 286,400 people have been affected
Syria announces new currency framework, 2-zero redenomination
- Under the plan, every 100 Syrian pounds will be converted into one unit of the new Syrian Arab Republic’s pound
- Governor calls move ‘pivotal milestone within a comprehensive strategy’
DAMASCUS: Syria’s Central Bank announced executive instructions on Sunday to introduce a new Syrian currency, launching a monetary reform that includes removing two zeros from the pound and allowing a 90-day period of dual circulation.
The announcement was made during a press conference at the bank’s headquarters in Damascus.
Central Bank Gov. Abdulkader Husrieh said the step was part of a comprehensive institutional strategy to restore confidence and achieve sustainable economic stability.
He said: “The launch of the new currency is not a formal measure, but a pivotal milestone within a comprehensive strategy based on solid institutional foundations.”
Under the plan, every 100 Syrian pounds will be converted into one unit of the new Syrian Arab Republic’s pound. The old and new currencies will circulate together for 90 days, a period which may be extended.
All bank balances will be converted to the new currency at the beginning of next year, while the overall money supply will be maintained without increase or reduction.
Husrieh said the economic strategy was based on five pillars: monetary stability, a stable and transparent foreign-exchange market, effective and accountable financial institutions, secure digital transformation, and balanced international economic relations.
He said the move required updating financial laws and regulations, improving data systems, keeping pace with global digital developments, and ensuring sustainable financing and training for the financial sector.
The currency exchange will be provided free of charge, with no commissions, fees, or taxes.
All public and private entities must apply the official conversion standard to prices, salaries, wages, and financial obligations. Official exchange-rate bulletins will be issued in both currencies to ensure transparency and prevent speculation.
The governor said the central bank was closely monitoring markets to stabilize the exchange rate and would supply Syrian pounds if demand for foreign currency rises, adding that citizens will feel the impact more clearly after the exchange process is completed.
“Our policy is financial discipline, with no room for inflation,” Husrieh added.
He confirmed that the decree regulating the exchange limits the process to Syrian territory, and said the measures fell within the bank’s 2026-2030 strategy to align with international standards.
The new banknotes, he added, were being printed by leading international companies to prevent counterfeiting.
