Chinese embassy offers aid to flood-hit Sudanese

The Chinese embassy in Khartoum on Wednesday provided humanitarian aid for a Sudanese locality recently affected by rain and flooding.

"The assistance includes shelter and other materials. It is a simple batch of assistance that expresses the feeling of the Chinese people for what their friends in Sudan are suffering from," Ambassador Luo Xiaoguang said.

He added that the embassy is also mobilizing the Chinese companies operating in Sudan to help rehabilitate the affected areas and rebuild the homes.

The ambassador said the assistance, provided for the affected people at Karary locality, north of Khartoum, was worth around 300,000 Sudanese pounds (about 68,000 US dollars).

Mohamed Al-Omda Abdul-Rahman, commissioner of Karary locality, thanked the Chinese embassy and companies for their help.

"The initiative is evidence of the deeply-rooted ties between Sudan and China and reaffirms the bond linking the two friendly peoples," Abdul-Rahman said.

According to the Interior Ministry, at least 53 people have been killed and 77 others injured across the country due to the recent spate of heavy rain and flooding, which has also destroyed thousands of homes since the beginning of August.