An unusual phenomenon has alarmed residents in eastern Sudan, where hundreds of dead rats were found scattered along the banks of the Atbara River, near its confluence with the Setit River, opposite the town of Showak in Gedaref State, some 340 kilometers east of Khartoum.
The discovery turned the riverbanks normally a vital source of water and life for local communities into a grim scene of mass rodent deaths, triggering fears of possible water contamination and public health risks, as foul odors spread across the area.
Kassala State’s Minister of Production and Economic Resources, Khidr Ramadan, described the appearance of rats in the nearby Khashm al-Girba locality as “unusual”, noting they likely migrated from Sennar State and that the surge in numbers was linked to the suspension of pest control campaigns for nearly two years.
Ramadan emphasized that “the die-off is natural and shows no signs of disease transmission,” attributing it mainly to food scarcity and describing it as a biological occurrence rather than a chemical or epidemic event, according to Naba Sudan.
A fact-finding committee investigating similar incidents in other states — including Gezira State — said the phenomenon stems from a natural population explosion of rodents following the collapse of control programs during the war, stressing that no evidence of poisoning, infectious disease, or chemical contamination had been found.
Field committees formed after previous incidents in August 2025 underscored the importance of continued monitoring and environmental safety, assuring residents that disposal of the dead rodents is being carried out through eco-safe methods. Laboratory tests, they added, confirmed that collected samples were free of any hazardous agents.
The unusual episode comes as Sudan remains embroiled in a devastating war between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has crippled public health and environmental management systems across large parts of the country.
Source: Sputnik / Al-Yurae