Sudan’s western Darfur region has reported more than 2,300 new cholera cases and 40 deaths in the past week, according to Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF).
The organization warned Thursday that the outbreak is the worst the country has seen in years, unfolding alongside the ongoing war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces.
The Sudanese Ministry of Health said Wednesday that the cumulative number of cholera cases has reached nearly 100,000, with at least 2,475 deaths recorded across 132 localities in all states.
MSF noted that the disease is spreading rapidly in displacement sites, especially in Tawila and Golo, where access to clean water and sanitation is severely limited.
“As people move around to flee fighting, cholera is spreading further, in Sudan and into neighboring Chad and South Sudan,” MSF said.
Tuna Turkmen, the group’s head of mission in Sudan, described the situation as “beyond urgent” and called for an immediate international response to provide medical care, improve water and sanitation infrastructure, and launch vaccination campaigns.
The conflict in Sudan, which erupted in April 2023, has killed tens of thousands and forced millions from their homes.
With health services collapsing, humanitarian agencies warn that preventable diseases like cholera could claim more lives, deepening the crisis in one of the world’s most unstable regions.
