Cholera Outbreak Worsens in Darfur’s Tawila Camps Amid Sudan’s Ongoing Conflict

Cholera Outbreak Worsens in Darfur’s Tawila Camps Amid Sudan’s Ongoing Conflict
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A severe cholera outbreak is spreading through refugee camps in Tawila, North Darfur, where hundreds of thousands displaced by Sudan’s conflict are living in dire conditions, France 24 reported. Many residents have access only to boiled water for drinking, which they sometimes mix with lemon as a form of home remedy.

Nearly half a million people fled to Tawila and surrounding areas in April following attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on El-Fasher and the Zamzam displacement camp. The first cholera cases appeared in early June in the village of Tabit before reaching Tawila’s camps, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

In the past month alone, more than 1,500 cases have been treated in Tawila, with UNICEF reporting around 300 infected children since April. Across Darfur, over 2,140 infections and at least 80 deaths have been recorded, while UNICEF warns that 640,000 children under five are at risk.

The World Health Organization said cholera has spread across all Sudanese states, with nearly 100,000 cases nationwide since July 2024 and more than 2,408 deaths in 17 states since August. Cholera, a waterborne bacterial infection, can be fatal within hours if untreated but is preventable with proper sanitation and easily treatable in most cases.

In Tawila’s makeshift shelters, residents face extreme shortages of soap, clean water, toilets, and food. Contaminated water sources and open defecation heighten the spread of disease. Aid remains insufficient, with humanitarian convoys often blocked by armed groups, especially the RSF.

MSF has opened a 160-bed cholera treatment center in Tawila, soon to be expanded to 200 beds, along with a second unit in Daba Nyra. However, both facilities are already over capacity. The UN warns that the ongoing rainy season could cause flooding, further contaminating water supplies and increasing the risk of additional disease outbreaks.

Sudan’s war, now in its third year, has killed tens of thousands and created the world’s largest displacement and hunger crisis, with millions dependent on aid that remains severely restricted.