By Africa Live News Staff Writer
A devastating cholera outbreak is sweeping across war-torn Sudan, with the capital city Khartoum now recording over 1,000 new cases daily, according to international health officials. The rapidly escalating crisis is fueled by the return of displaced populations, the collapse of water and sanitation systems, and the widespread destruction left by the country’s ongoing civil conflict.
The outbreak, described by medical experts as a “ticking time bomb,” has centred in Khartoum and Omdurman but is spreading into other regions, threatening to become a nationwide health emergency.
War, Displacement, and Disease
The cholera surge comes at a time when tens of thousands of Sudanese citizens are returning to cities like Khartoum and Omdurman after recent territorial gains by the Sudanese military over the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). However, they return to devastated homes, broken infrastructure, and near-total health system collapse.
“Khartoum is now seeing over 1,000 new cholera cases every single day,” said Nicolas Jean, head of the Doctors Without Borders mission in Sudan, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). “The combination of a lack of clean water, poor hygiene, and almost nonexistent access to healthcare is a perfect storm for the rapid spread of this disease.”
The regions of North Kordofan, Sennar, Gazira, White Nile, and Nile River have also reported rising cases. However, health experts warn that accurate data is difficult to obtain due to restricted access, damaged health facilities, and limited communications infrastructure.
Collapsing Health Infrastructure
With over 80% of Sudan’s hospitals out of service, the country’s health infrastructure is unable to cope with the surge in cholera infections. The few remaining hospitals face critical shortages of clean water, electricity, medical supplies, and trained personnel.
“The health system is on its knees,” said Dr. Sayed Mohamed Abdullah from Sudan’s Doctors Union. “Hospitals that are still operational are barely functioning. We don’t have enough medicine, and there’s no reliable power or water supply.”
Attacks on power stations during the civil conflict have worsened water shortages, making it nearly impossible to maintain sanitation standards. According to UNICEF, entire sections of Khartoum lack access to safe drinking water, a key factor in the spread of cholera.
A Disease of Poverty
The World Health Organization (WHO) has labelled cholera a “disease of poverty,” as it disproportionately affects communities with poor sanitation and limited access to clean water. The disease is caused by ingestion of food or water contaminated with Vibrio cholerae, a bacterium that induces severe diarrhea and dehydration. If not treated promptly, it can kill within hours.
Though treatable with oral rehydration salts and antibiotics, Sudan’s broken healthcare system and shortage of medical supplies make timely treatment difficult for the majority of patients.
The global stockpile of oral cholera vaccines has also fallen below the WHO’s minimum threshold of 5 million doses, complicating international efforts to contain the spread.
“We are seeing a convergence of global challenges — poverty, climate crisis, and violent conflict — all of which are accelerating the spread of cholera globally,” said a spokesperson for the United Nations Health Emergency Program.
A Growing Humanitarian Catastrophe
Sudan’s cholera outbreak is part of a much broader humanitarian crisis that has deepened since the start of the civil war in April 2023, when tensions between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF escalated into open conflict. The war has killed an estimated 24,000 people, though many experts believe the real death toll is significantly higher due to underreporting.
Over 14 million people have been displaced, with more than 4 million fleeing to neighbouring countries, and millions more trapped in areas with little to no access to basic services. Humanitarian agencies are warning of famine in five regions, including parts of Darfur, already described by aid workers as “completely devastated.”
“With famine, cholera, and war, Sudan is facing a convergence of catastrophes,” warned an aid worker from Save the Children stationed in Port Sudan. “This is a full-blown humanitarian emergency, yet global attention remains dangerously low.”
International Calls for Action
Despite the scale of the crisis, international aid to Sudan remains woefully underfunded. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has repeatedly called for increased support to respond to both the medical and food crises engulfing the country.
“Immediate action is needed to provide clean water, re-establish sanitation systems, and supply life-saving medical treatment,” said OCHA’s regional director for Africa, emphasizing that a failure to act now would have long-lasting consequences.
The World Health Organization has also deployed emergency health teams in coordination with MSF and other non-governmental organizations to help treat those infected and prevent the further spread of the disease. But aid workers continue to face challenges accessing conflict zones, especially areas still under RSF control.
A Plea From The Ground
Back in Khartoum, residents like Amna Ibrahim, a 32-year-old mother of three, say they are living in fear. “There is no water, no food, no electricity, and now this disease. My children are sick, and there is nowhere to take them,” she told local reporters. “We don’t want to die from war, hunger, or cholera. We just want peace.”
As the war grinds on and Sudan’s crisis deepens, aid organizations warn that cholera may just be the beginning of an even more severe public health catastrophe — one that will require urgent international attention, not just in terms of funding, but political resolve to end the conflict itself.
