Darfur: A cholera outbreak has devastated Sudan's Darfur region, infecting over 7,780 individuals and causing 330 deaths, based on the most recent data from local displacement camp coordinators. The outbreak, which initially began in June, has seen a swift escalation since July, especially in areas under the jurisdiction of the Rapid Support Forces.
According to Kuwait News Agency, camps in Tawila, Jebel Marra, Nyala, and Zalingei are among the most severely affected, with overcrowding and scarce medical supplies exacerbating the crisis. Sudan's Health Minister, Haitham Mohammad Ibrahim, acknowledged that the outbreak is now in its third consecutive year, despite the vaccination of 20 million individuals. He further cautioned that all five Darfur states continue to be active hotspots, with four isolated localities in North Darfur struggling to receive necessary aid.
Humanitarian organizations, including Doctors Without Borders and the Sudanese Doctors for Peace and Development (SDPD), have characterized the situation as one of the most severe cholera waves in recent years. They reported more than 99,000 suspected cases and 2,470 deaths as of August 11, with 2,300 cases treated in Darfur and 40 fatalities occurring within a single week.
On August 14, the United Nations issued a warning about the fast spread of the disease, particularly in Darfur, where the Tawila Center has been inundated with infected individuals among hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. The World Health Organization (WHO) reported nearly 100,000 suspected cases and over 2,400 deaths nationwide this year, describing it as a "collective failure" to contain a preventable disease.
The WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed concerns that recent floods and widespread malnutrition could trigger new waves of cholera, malaria, and dengue fever, further exacerbating the suffering of millions displaced by the ongoing conflict between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023.