Sudan: Cholera Claims Lives of More than 3,000

Alsharq Tribune- Gina Issa 

Sudan recorded over 3,000 deaths and 120,000 cases of cholera, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) warned on Saturday.

In a post on X, UNOCHA said the health system in Sudan is in a dire situation to face the disease after 75% of health facilities have been destroyed by the ongoing war between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces.

“The lack of sustained funding threatens to undermine ongoing response efforts, as the rainy season continues,” the Office noted. Sudan's war erupted on April 15, 2023, between the army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

Since, millions of Sudanese have been driven from their homes, creating one of the worst displacement and humanitarian crises in the world. Last month, a body representing displaced people said the death toll from an unprecedented cholera outbreak in Sudan’s Darfur region killed 25 people in 48 hours.

The epidemic, which began in June, has infected 11,733 people and caused 454 deaths, Adam Regal, a spokesman for the General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugee Camps, told Sudan Tribune. He said 12 people died from the disease in one day and another 13 the next day.

The hardest-hit area is Tawila, about 60 km west of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur. The town has recorded 5,417 cases and 78 deaths, with 58 new infections registered on Sunday alone, Regal said.