The outbreak of cholera is centered around the capital Khartoum, and has been ravaged by more than two years of war.
At least 70 people have been killed in two days due to the cholera outbreak in Khartoum, Sudan, local health officials said.
The Khartoum province’s health ministry reported 942 new cases and 25 deaths the day before, following 1,177 cases and 45 deaths the day before.
The outbreak centers around Hartzm, the capital, ravaged by more than two years of war between the Sudanese army and the Paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
The city lost access to water and electricity earlier this month after a drone attack that denounced the RSF.
The Army Support Government announced last week that it had driven away RSF fighter jets from its last base in Khartoum, two months after recapturing the capital’s centre from paramilitary groups.
Cities remain devastated by the barely functioning health and sanitation infrastructure.
According to the federal health department, 172 people died of cholera in the week. Aid workers say the scale of the outbreak is getting worse as about 90% of hospitals in major war zones are no longer operational, with the near collapse of health services.
“Sudan is on the verge of a public health disaster,” said Eatizaz Yousif, Sudan Country Director, International Rescue Committee. “The combination of conflict, displacement, destroyed infrastructure and lack of clean water is driving the revival of cholera and other deadly diseases,” she told AFP.
Since August 2024, Sudan has reported more than 65,000 cholera cases and at least 1,700 dead cases in 12 of 18 states. Khartoum alone has resulted in 7,700 cases and 185 deaths, including over 1,000 infections in children under the age of five.
The spread of the disease is expected to worsen with the upcoming rainy season. This could further limit humanitarian access. Aid groups warn that deaths could skyrocket unless emergency action is taken away.
More than one million children are at risk in areas affected by cholera in Khartoum, according to UNICEF, a UN Children’s Agency.
“We are pleased to announce that we are pleased to announce that we are pleased to announce that Sudan’s UNICEF president Sheldon Ittt said: “Every day, more children are under this double threat of cholera and malnutrition.”
The war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands of people, displaced 13 million people, and created the world’s largest evacuation and hunger crisis.
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