WHO Reports Cholera Spread Across All Sudan States Amid Ongoing Conflict

WHO Reports Cholera Spread Across All Sudan States Amid Ongoing Conflict
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed that cholera has spread to all 18 states of Sudan, where conflict has persisted for over two years. In a statement posted on X, the UN health agency reported more than 96,000 cases since August 2024, describing Sudan as facing one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, marked by disease, hunger, displacement, and despair.

Alongside cholera, WHO noted continued outbreaks of measles and malaria. Sudan’s Ministry of Health announced on Tuesday that 2,345 new cholera cases and 21 deaths were recorded in a single week, bringing the total to 96,681 cases since August last year. Most recent cases were reported in Tawila, North Darfur.

On Sunday, UNICEF warned that over 640,000 children under the age of five in North Darfur face heightened risks of violence, hunger, and disease amid the ongoing cholera outbreak. The health crisis comes as Sudan remains gripped by a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April 2023.

According to the UN and local authorities, the war has killed more than 20,000 people and displaced about 15 million as refugees and internally displaced persons. However, research from U.S. universities estimates the death toll could be as high as 130,000.

Sudan’s overlapping crises of war, displacement, and disease have placed immense strain on health services, with international agencies warning of worsening humanitarian conditions in the months ahead.