“Cholera is back and it’s affecting several states, mainly in the western part of the country, the Darfurs and the Kordofans,” said Dr Shible Sahbani, UN World Health Organization (WHO) Representative to Sudan.
Briefing journalists in Geneva, the official reported more than 1,330 confirmed cases and 114 deaths from the disease, which is preventable but can be deadly if not treated quickly.
Why this matters
- 114 confirmed deaths from highly infectious cholera so far
- Conflict still blocking lifesaving healthcare and aid
- Rainy season likely to make outbreak much worse
- Millions still displaced and highly vulnerable
The true number of fatalities is likely much higher and aid agencies are deeply concerned that the disease could spread among the hundreds of thousands of people who’ve fled towns and rural areas in North Kordofan.
The Sudanese state located in the centre of the country is the epicentre of fighting between former allies the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).
Vulnerable to disease
The cholera case fatality rate is already “extremely high” at 13.7 per cent and it is expected to worsen when the upcoming rainy season sets in, Dr Sahbani explained.
Sudan is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis with more than 33 million people in need; this includes 21 million who require health services. Since war erupted on 15 April 2023, at least 59,000 people have been killed.
Although some people have returned to states “where the situation is improving” including the capital, Khartoum, Dr Sahbani stressed that 13.4 million remain displaced; nine million within Sudan and 4.6 million in neighbouring countries. In addition to cholera, existing disease outbreaks include dengue, malaria, meningitis, hepatitis E and measles.
“We are particularly concerned about the spread [of cholera] to El-Obeid in North Kordofan, where the access is very limited and where the fragile health system is under increasing strain,” the WHO representative said. “Health facilities are overwhelmed there and access to care is very, very limited.”
Aid boost call
The agency has prepositioned enough health supplies for more than 25,000 people in El-Obeid “but I can admit that it’s not enough”, Dr Sahbani said. On Monday, WHO delivered 8.5 tonnes of medical supplies to Kadugli and Dilling in South Kordofan as part of an inter-agency convoy.
This was the first WHO shipment to reach Kadugli since December 2024 because of access blockages.
Dr Sahbani echoed recent appeals from UN human rights chief Volker Türk to the international community to prevent further atrocities in El-Obeid and a repeat of mass killings in El Fasher when RSF forces entered the city last October.
“We call for our partners and donors to help us to be able first to access and second to be able to send enough supplies and enough facilities in El-Obeid. But we know that the situation there is very, very bad and it’s worsening with higher risk of disease outbreaks, malnutrition, violence, including violence against women and children.”
