September 16, Um Dafouk — Residents of Um Dafouk in South Darfur state, bordering Central Africa, have complained about the disastrously deteriorating humanitarian and environmental conditions caused by the flood of the Um Dafouk dam after it suffered a partial collapse.

The water inundated homes and forced residents to evacuate, in addition to damaging large areas of farms. Resident Huda Abdullah Osman told Darfur24 that the dam’s water was rushing towards their homes around 2am, forcing them to leave. They have been staying in schools since then.

Another resident Ahmed Mohammed Ahmed appealed to humanitarian organizations to provide relief to those affected by the flooding of the dam, which is causing the spread of malaria and diarrhea among children. He also said that the dam has received no maintenance for over two years, which caused its partial collapse.

An official in Um Dafouk locality previously told Darfur24 that the  water flowed through a previous break in the dam’s body and that the ongoing war had disrupted the maintenance work.

The Um Dafouk Dam was constructed in 1997 by the state water authority on the stream of the valley, which crosses into Central Africa. It was built to establish stability among nomads and their livestock within the state’s borders.