Sudan’s Deadly Cholera Outbreak Deepens Amid War and Water Crisis. Image: Doctors Without Borders.
(The Post News)– At least 40 people have died in the past week during Sudan’s worst cholera outbreak in years, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) reports. The country’s two-year civil war is making the crisis worse, with clinics overflowing and patients lying on mattresses on the floor.
MSF says families in refugee and displacement camps often have no option but to drink contaminated water. In one camp, a body was pulled from a well. Just two days later, residents were forced to draw water from the same source.
Since Sudan’s health ministry confirmed the outbreak a year ago, officials have recorded more than 99,700 suspected cases and 2,470 deaths. Heavy rains and the ongoing conflict are spreading the disease, contaminating water supplies, and overwhelming sewage systems.
Africa accounts for 60% of the world’s cholera cases and over 93% of related deaths. Sudan is among the hardest hit. MSF’s treatment center in Tawila, North Darfur, treated more than 2,300 patients in July alone—far beyond its 130-bed capacity.
The UN says about 380,000 people have fled to Tawila since April to escape fighting. Most survive on only three liters of water per day—less than half the emergency minimum.
Across Darfur, water shortages make basic hygiene almost impossible, MSF warns. The outbreak has now spread beyond displacement camps into surrounding communities. Neighboring Chad has also reported cases.
MSF is urging urgent international assistance. It is calling for more healthcare resources, clean water, sanitation, and vaccination campaigns. “Survivors of war must not be left to die from a preventable disease,” the organization said.
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