MSF says displacement, war and rain driving deadly cholera outbreak in Sudan.
At least 40 people have died from cholera in Sudan’s Darfur region in what medical charity Doctors Without Borders, known by its French initials MSF, described as the country’s worst outbreak in years.
MSF said on Thursday that the vast western region, already devastated by more than two years of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), is bearing the brunt of an outbreak that began a year ago.
“On top of an all-out war, people in Sudan are now experiencing the worst cholera outbreak the country has seen in years,” the group said in a statement cited by the AFP news agency. “In the Darfur region alone, MSF teams treated over 2,300 patients and recorded 40 deaths in the past week.”
Nationwide, health authorities have reported 99,700 suspected cases and 2,470 deaths linked to cholera since August 2023.
The bacterial infection, transmitted through contaminated food and water, can cause severe diarrhoea, vomiting and muscle cramps. It can kill within hours without treatment, though simple oral rehydration or antibiotics can save lives.
On Wednesday, health officials launched a 10-day vaccination drive in the capital, Khartoum, to slow what aid agencies warn is a fast-moving outbreak worsened by war, mass displacement and heavy rainfall.
MSF said millions forced from their homes by the conflict now struggle to access clean water for drinking, cooking and hygiene. In Tawila, North Darfur, where about 380,000 people have fled ongoing fighting near el-Fasher, residents survive on just 3 litres (3.2qt) of water per day – less than half the emergency minimum of 7.5 litres (8qt) per person.
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“In displacement and refugee camps, families often have no choice but to drink from contaminated sources and many contract cholera,” said Sylvain Penicaud, MSF’s project coordinator in Tawila. “Just two weeks ago, a body was found in a well inside one of the camps. It was removed, but within two days, people were forced to drink from that same water again.”
Since the army retook Khartoum in March, fighting has intensified in Darfur, with the RSF attempting to seize el-Fasher, the last major city in the region still under army control. The United Nations has described dire conditions for civilians trapped inside.
Heavy rains have further contaminated water sources and damaged sewage systems, MSF warned, while people fleeing the fighting are carrying the disease into neighbouring Chad and South Sudan.
MSF’s head of mission in Sudan, Tuna Turkmen, described the situation as “beyond urgent”.
“The outbreak is spreading well beyond displacement camps now, into multiple localities across Darfur states and beyond,” Turkmen said. “Survivors of war must not be left to die from a preventable disease.”
Sudan’s war, which began in Khartoum in April 2023, has killed more than 40,000 people, displaced an estimated 12 million and pushed millions towards famine.