The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that a cholera outbreak in Sudan, which began in July 2024 in Kassala, has now spread to all 18 states. Over 113,600 cases have been recorded, with more than 3,000 deaths, reflecting a concerning case fatality rate of 2.7 percent. The outbreak has surged in areas including White Nile and Khartoum due to the ongoing conflict and increased population movement, compounded by severely limited access to basic services such as water, food, and healthcare.
Cholera is an acute intestinal infection transmitted through contaminated food and water, capable of causing death within hours if untreated. WHO notes that case fatality rates above one percent indicate significant gaps in care and delayed access to treatment. In Sudan, the resurgence of cholera has been worsened by heavy rains, flooding, overcrowding, and lack of clean water in displacement sites and communities.
In the Darfur region, where cholera has been spreading since May, cases continue to rise amid severe access constraints, including inaccessible roads due to the rainy season. As of recent reports, there were 12,739 cases and 358 deaths across more than half of the localities in the five Darfur states. Some areas in West Darfur have reported a case fatality rate as high as 11.8 percent.
WHO and partners have launched a cholera vaccination campaign targeting the worst-hit communities, aiming to protect 1.86 million people in six priority localities of the Darfurs. The campaign, which began after weeks of preparation, faced major logistical and security challenges, including delivering vaccines via long routes to Nyala in South Darfur. Preparations are also underway to extend the campaign to Tawila in North Darfur, home to over 575,000 internally displaced people, many of whom fled the besieged city of El Fasher.
The vaccines are being deployed with support from UNICEF, which highlighted the severe risk cholera poses to children, particularly those under five, with at least 380 deaths reported so far. Access to treatment remains limited as the conflict, now over two-and-a-half years old, has devastated the health system. More than 70 percent of hospitals in conflict-affected areas are non-operational, and many health centres have been damaged, destroyed, or repurposed as shelters.
UNICEF also emphasized the impact of attacks on Sudan’s power and water infrastructure, leaving millions, including children, without safe drinking water. Families are often forced to collect water from unsafe sources, further exacerbating the spread and severity of the cholera outbreak.
