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The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a rapidly worsening cholera outbreak in war-torn Sudan, where more than 100 people have died, raising fresh fears for millions already facing conflict, displacement and severe shortages of healthcare.
The outbreak has so far claimed at least 114 lives, with more than 1,330 confirmed cases, according to WHO. However, officials believe the actual number of infections and deaths is likely to be significantly higher.
“Cholera is back and it’s affecting several states, mainly in the western part of the country, the Darfurs and the Kordofans,” WHO Representative to Sudan Dr Shible Sahbani told reporters in Geneva.
Health officials are particularly concerned about the spread of the disease to El-Obeid in North Kordofan, where continuing drone attacks and insecurity have severely restricted humanitarian access and overwhelmed the already fragile healthcare system.
“We are particularly concerned about the spread to El-Obeid, where access is very limited and the fragile health system is under increasing strain,” Dr Sahbani said.
He warned that the outbreak’s case fatality rate has reached an alarming 13.7 percent and could rise further with the onset of the rainy season, when waterborne diseases typically spread more rapidly.
Sudan remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with more than 33 million people in need of assistance, including 21 million requiring healthcare services. Since fighting erupted between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, at least 59,000 people have been killed.
Although security conditions have improved in some areas, including parts of Khartoum, around 13.4 million people remain displaced, with nine million uprooted inside Sudan and another 4.6 million taking refuge in neighbouring countries.
The cholera outbreak comes as Sudan continues to battle multiple public health emergencies, including dengue fever, malaria, meningitis, hepatitis E and measles.
WHO has pre-positioned emergency medical supplies sufficient to treat more than 25,000 people in El-Obeid, but officials acknowledged that the stock is far from adequate to meet growing needs.
Earlier this week, the UN agency delivered 8.5 tonnes of medical supplies to Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan as part of a joint humanitarian convoy, marking the first WHO shipment to reach Kadugli since December 2024 after months of access restrictions.
Dr Sahbani also echoed calls by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk for urgent international action to prevent further atrocities and improve humanitarian access.
He urged donors and humanitarian partners to help secure safe access to affected areas and provide additional medical supplies, warning that worsening violence, disease outbreaks, malnutrition and risks facing women and children could further deepen Sudan’s humanitarian catastrophe. Source UN News
