Early Warning and Civil Protection for Floods and Drought in Sudan

Since 2020, CIMA Research Foundation has collaborated with the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in Sudan, focusing on strengthening local governance and essential services for vulnerable communities in the Mayo area, near Khartoum. Through field missions, it conducted hydraulic risk surveys and assessments, contributing to flood and drought mitigation actions. In 2021, the collaboration expanded with the APIS project, aimed at enhancing at national level the Early Warning System of Sudan, improving disaster preparedness and management. CIMA supported Sudan with technological tools, training and operational procedures for civil protection operations. With the outbreak of conflict in 2023, the project had to adapt to a more complex situation, focusing on restoration and sustainment of warning services to support humanitarian operations during the emergency, strengthening coordination with the regional network of partners, aligning with the Early Warning 4 All initiative. In February 2025, the new Situation Room of the National Council for Civil Defence (NCCD) in Port Sudan was officially opened, with this very important step the country regains an operational infrastructure for alert dissemination and emergency management.

Context and Objectives

The APIS project (Early Warning and Civil Protection for Floods and Droughts in Sudan) aims to strengthen Sudan's disaster management capabilities. By adopting advanced technologies and supporting national institutions, the project has strengthened the early warning system to mitigate the impact of floods and droughts risks on the population.

The Human Element

The heart of the project is the people: Sudanese experts, humanitarian workers, local communities, and institutions collaborate to improve risk management. Through training and technical assistance, national professionals have acquired skills to predict and mitigate the effects of disasters.

Human and Social Impact

The Sudanese community is now better prepared to face climate emergencies. The transfer of skills has enabled national experts to operate independently, ensuring the continuity of the early warning system despite tremendous challenges exacerbated by the ongoing war.

Strengthening Coordination

Despite the crisis in Sudan, international cooperation ensures the continuity of the early warning system for floods and droughts. A project amendment approved in January 2024 strengthens coordination between institutions to support humanitarian response.
The project operates on three levels:
Humanitarian organizations: disseminating impact based warnings related toextreme hydrometeorological events for better response during the ongoing emergency, supported by the African Union Situation Room (MAECI, AICS, AUC, UNDRR, CIMA).
Rehabilitation of national monitoring and forecasting services: reinforced through secondment mechanism and relocation of experts in collaboration with ICPAC
Civil Protection (NCCD): enhanced risk management and national coordination.
This institutional synergy guarantees essential services despite ongoing challenges.

Voices from Sudan

“We work together every day at 12 p.m., starting from NCCD to open the bulletin. We add our experience, beside the output of the models to show how much the hazards can affect people. We moved from forecasts to impact based forecasts, which is very crucial for people, to give them what the weather will do rather than what the weather will be. Now we have good collaboration together with institutions. We have one language which was missed in the past.”

Dalal Babikier Mohammed Homoudi

Forecaster, Sudan Meteorological Authority

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“I believe that the APIS project has significantly contributed to facilitate co-production work with partners especially in these difficult circumstances in Sudan which has reflected for availability of informations that can help for mitigation and monitoring of floods and drought. Actually the APIS project transforms the availability of information of these risks from merely numerical records to detailed informations based on the impact which can lead to improve the preparedness and putting us on the line of anticipatory action.”

Safa Abdelhameed Babiker Mohamed Alhassan

Agrometeorologist, Sudan Meteorological Authority

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“We are facing unprecedented levels of rainfall, floods, and flashfloods, and this project is serving as a rescue for Sudan by offering excellent weather forecasts. The National Council of Civil Defense can mitigate risks using the bulletins produced by the project, which warn of natural hazards across all Sudanese states. These early warnings protect Sudanese citizens, conserve national infrastructure, and support economic development, ultimately rescuing the entire country.”

Ameer Alhassan Alsiddig Alsayeh

Colonnel, Sudan National Council of Civil Defence

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Key Results

National risk profile for floods and droughts to identify areas most susceptible to hydro-meteorological hazards in the current and future climate

Provision to authorities involved in disaster risk management in Sudan of a decision support platform (myDewetra.world), which will integrate key information within it, supporting the issuance of timely warnings to all stakeholders

Restoration of the national monitoring network through rehabilitation of software databases and automatic weather stations.

Design and transfer of High-resolution rain and flood forecasting warning system, covering the entire domain of Sudan.

Implementation of a nationwide operational drought condition monitoring system.

Provision of a technological tool for compiling and issuing warning bulletins.

Implementation of the national multi hazards EWS situation room.