A fast-moving cholera outbreak is sweeping through Sudan, with health officials reporting over 1,000 new cases daily in the capital, Khartoum, amid ongoing civil war.
The outbreak is centred in Khartoum and is believed to be spreading further as thousands of Sudanese return to the country after fleeing the conflict. With much of the sanitation system destroyed and access to clean water severely limited, residents are forced to rely on contaminated sources—fertile ground for the waterborne disease.
Nicolas Jean, head of the Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) mission in Sudan, confirmed the dire scale of the crisis. “We’re now seeing more than 1,000 new cases a day in Khartoum,” he said, blaming the lack of clean water, poor hygiene, and limited access to healthcare for the outbreak’s rapid spread.
While most of the reported cases are in Khartoum and its twin city, Omdurman, health officials have also confirmed infections in North Kordofan, Sennar, Gazira, White Nile, and Nile River provinces.
Khartoum and Omdurman, once the heart of Sudan’s urban population, were heavily bombarded during the conflict between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The region was recaptured by the military in late March, prompting around 34,000 people to return to cities left in ruins.
Those returning found their homes damaged or destroyed, clean water scarce, and basic services largely non-functional. UNICEF noted that attacks on power infrastructure have disrupted electricity, further exacerbating the water crisis. Sanitation networks remain severely damaged.
Health professionals warn that the outbreak could accelerate, especially in overcrowded displacement centres where isolation of infected individuals is difficult. Over 80% of hospitals are out of service, and the few that remain face dire shortages of water, power, and essential medicines, according to Dr Sayed Mohamed Abdullah of Sudan’s Doctors Union.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) describes cholera as a “disease of poverty,” thriving in areas with poor sanitation and unsafe water. Caused by ingesting food or water contaminated with the Vibrio cholerae bacterium, the illness is typically treatable with rehydration solutions and antibiotics. While most cases are mild, untreated severe cases can lead to death within hours.
Alarmingly, the WHO’s global stockpile of oral cholera vaccines has now fallen below its critical minimum threshold of 5 million doses, making it harder to respond to rapidly spreading outbreaks.
The U.N. warns that cholera has surged worldwide since 2021, driven by a combination of poverty, conflict, and extreme climate events, including floods and cyclones.
Sudan’s civil war, which erupted in April 2023, has devastated the country. At least 24,000 people are estimated to have been killed—though the real figure is likely higher. Over 14 million people have been displaced, including more than 4 million who fled to neighbouring countries. Famine has been declared in at least five areas, particularly in the war-ravaged Darfur region.
