Egypt expresses solidarity with Sudan over devastating floods

CAIRO - 2 August 2020: Egypt has expressed solidarity with Sudan after Boot Dam collapsed in the southeast of the country, destroying hundreds of homes.

“Egypt stands by her brothers in Sudan to counter the ramifications of this accident on the basis of the brotherly ties between the people of the Nile Valley, the historical relations and the sharing of the same course and destiny that all bring the two countries together,” the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a Sunday statement.

The dam contained about 5 million cubic meters of irrigation and drinking water. Its collapse threaten the displacement of thousands in the Blue Nile state, not only because of the severe damages, but also because the area hosts a major market and nine schools and has been a safe haven for the displaced from all over the state, Sky News Arabia quoted Sudanese official Nasiba Colul as saying.

Last week, another flood destroyed dozens of homes in northern Sudan.

The cost of such floods brings the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam to the forefront again, as Sudan and Egypt fear that the massive dam may cause hazards because it is built in a geologically “unstable” area at the Ethiopian-Sudanese borders.