Sudan Faces Deadly Cholera Outbreak Amid Conflict and Floods

Sudan is facing a deadly cholera outbreak that has claimed the lives of nearly two dozen people and sickened hundreds more in recent weeks. The outbreak adds to the country’s mounting challenges as it grapples with a 16-month conflict and devastating floods that have displaced thousands.

Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim announced on Sunday that at least 22 people have died from cholera, with 354 confirmed cases detected across the country. While the exact timeframe for these cases was not provided, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported 78 cholera-related deaths in Sudan this year as of July 28, with over 2,400 people affected by the disease from January 1 to July 28.

Cholera is a fast-developing, highly contagious infection that causes severe diarrhea and dehydration, potentially leading to death within hours if untreated. The disease is typically transmitted through the ingestion of contaminated food or water.

The outbreak began in the eastern province of Kassala and has since spread to nine localities across five provinces, according to WHO spokesman Tarik Jašarević. He noted that most detected cases involved individuals who were not vaccinated. WHO is now working with Sudanese health authorities and partners to implement a vaccination campaign to curb the spread of the disease.

The cholera outbreak is the latest in a series of calamities for Sudan, which has been engulfed in conflict since April 2022. Tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted into full-scale warfare, turning cities like Khartoum into battlegrounds and further crippling an already fragile healthcare system. The conflict has claimed thousands of lives and displaced more than 10.7 million people, creating the world’s largest displacement crisis.

Compounding the humanitarian disaster, recent seasonal floods have devastated 12 of Sudan’s 18 provinces, killing dozens of people and displacing approximately 118,000 others, according to the U.N. migration agency.

In response to the escalating crisis, Sudan’s military-controlled sovereign council announced plans to send a government delegation to meet with American officials in Cairo. This comes amid increased U.S. pressure on the military to participate in ongoing peace talks in Switzerland, which aim to find a resolution to the conflict. The talks, which began on August 14, have seen participation from diplomats from the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, the African Union, and the United Nations.

As Sudan continues to navigate this multi-faceted crisis, the international community’s support and intervention are crucial in addressing both the immediate public health threat posed by cholera and the broader challenges of conflict and displacement.