Rhino: Reuters – Dozens of residents fleeing the town of Hilaliya in Sudan’s Gezira state have tested positive for cholera, a medical source told Reuters, in a development that provides a possible explanation for the reported deaths of hundreds there.

While local activists say more than 300 people have died, a group of Hilaliya residents provided Reuters with a list of more than 400 deaths, a number they say is increasing by the hour.

With reports of mass deaths in Hilaliya which is home to tens of thousands of locals and displaced people, rumors have circulated about the cause of the deaths and whether RSF soldiers deliberately poisoned people. But the medical source told Reuters that an increasing number of people fleeing the city have tested positive for cholera.

Earlier this week, the United Nations said there was a suspected outbreak of cholera among those fleeing eastern Gezira state, one of a number of outbreaks across the country.

The East Nile Emergency Room said doctors at Um Dawa Ban Hospital had received at least 200 cholera cases from the region.

With the exact cause unclear, dozens in Hilaliya began to develop stomach pains, diarrhea and vomiting. Only a few people were able to get antibiotics and recover, and the rest who were unable to get medicine began to die.