Updated: 0 December 0000 00:00:00
War Has Many Faces: Cholera Ravages War-Torn Sudan
Sudan Media Forum
Muhannad Murshid, Khartoum, July 12, 2025 (Jabraka News) - As Sudans healthcare system collapses under the strain of a brutal two-year war, a fast-spreading cholera outbreak is compounding the suffering of millions already devastated by conflict. Tens of thousands of infections and hundreds of deaths have been reported since late 2024.
The spread of cholera has been fueled by the lack of clean water, the breakdown of sanitation services, and the near-total collapse of primary healthcare, prompting international organizations to warn of an impending humanitarian catastrophe if urgent interventions are not made.
Official Recognition
On August 17, 2024, former Federal Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim officially declared the outbreak of cholera in several Sudanese states, attributing it to worsening environmental conditions and contaminated water sources. Since then, case numbers have fluctuated across most states.
According to the Federal Emergency Operations Center’s report on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, there were 603 new infections and 8 deaths in the past week alone. Cumulatively, the country has recorded 84,531 infections and 2,145 deaths across 110 localities in 17 states. The report highlighted rising infections among returnees from South Sudan in the states of Sennar, White Nile, and Blue Nile. It also noted discrepancies in the availability of cholera medications and supplies in state-level medical warehouses.
These figures reveal the scale of the challenge facing health authorities and humanitarian agencies in monitoring and containing the outbreak—especially with the onset of the rainy season and widespread decomposing corpses and waste in affected areas.
Environmental Disaster and Growing Concerns in Darfur
Dr. Adeeba Ibrahim Al-Sayed, an internal medicine and epidemiology specialist and member of the Sudan Doctors Committee – Omdurman branch, told Jabraka News that the continuation of war, environmental degradation, lack of sanitation, decomposing bodies, and water contamination are all key factors in the cholera outbreak. She added that famine and malnutrition have accelerated the spread of infection, along with overcrowded displacement shelters and shortages of medical staff and supplies.
Dr. Adeeba issued a warning about the growing outbreak in the Darfur region, calling the situation "alarming" due to the difficulty of reaching affected areas because of the siege imposed by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), making humanitarian responses nearly impossible.
She added that most available data comes from Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) operating in Nyala, which remains under RSF control.
Official government services are virtually nonexistent across the five Darfur states due to ongoing clashes and hospital shutdowns, while the RSF struggles to manage public health amid limited resources and a weak medical response.
In June, the Emergency and Epidemic Control Department in South Darfur reported 279 cases since May 27, including 21 deaths. MSF has since opened a new cholera treatment center at Al-Nahda Hospital in Nyala, following 250 confirmed cases at Nyala Teaching Hospital. However, the true scale of the crisis remains unclear due to restricted access and limited data.
Government Inaction and Grassroots Response
A local activist from a neighborhood emergency committee in Omdurman’s Umbadda district—who requested anonymity—told Jabraka News that the cholera outbreak is directly linked to the absence of government intervention. “Local authorities, particularly the health department, should have acted swiftly to clean and disinfect the city. Umbadda lacks even the minimum conditions for public health amidst scattered waste and decomposing bodies,” he said.
While the first wave of cholera in Umbadda appears to have subsided, the activist expressed deep concern over a possible resurgence during the rainy season, especially in the absence of organized spraying and sanitation campaigns. He called for stronger collaboration between residents and local authorities and praised grassroots cleanup efforts, including an initiative led by the “Umbadda Rashideen Committee” to rehabilitate and sanitize neighborhoods.
He also highlighted the role of contaminated water as one of the most dangerous sources of infection. Many families now spend more on drinking water than food, with two jerry cans of clean water costing around 3,000 Sudanese pounds and still being hard to obtain.
With the rainy season beginning, Sudan’s National Meteorological Authority issued a bulletin on July 8, warning of increased rainfall and possible flash floods, particularly in low-lying areas.
The Health Authority recommended early preparedness to combat waterborne diseases—including cholera—by ensuring access to clean drinking water, safe food, essential medicines, and waste removal, as well as improving public hygiene. These warnings add urgency to the need for a coordinated response before the situation worsens.
Dr. Montasir Mohamed Osman, Director of the Federal Ministry of Health’s Emergency and Epidemic Control Department, told Jabraka News that the limited supply of safe drinking water—exacerbated by RSF attacks on water and electricity stations—has cut services to residents and forced many to defecate in the open, often near water sources, which remains one of the primary causes of cholera’s spread. He stressed that public health education is critical to reducing infections by informing communities about transmission.
He noted that cholera outbreaks in Sudan historically occur in cycles of 4–5 years, followed by dormant periods of 3–6 years.
In February and March 2025, RSF attacks on the Um Dabbaker power station east of Rabak (White Nile State) cut water and electricity supplies to large parts of the region. As a result, residents turned to unsafe sources, including the White Nile River, accelerating the outbreak in alarming ways.
Haitham Gomaa, a cholera survivor from Kosti, told Jabraka News that he began experiencing sudden vomiting and diarrhea and collapsed within an hour. His family rushed him to the nearest health center, but the staff refused to admit him and referred them to Kosti Teaching Hospital.
Haitham said he received IV fluids and oral rehydration salts (instead of water), along with antibiotics to stop the diarrhea, totaling 36 IV drips over four days of treatment.
While the isolation center initially accommodated all patients, within three days it reached maximum capacity. Medical staff began administering emergency care outdoors in the hospital courtyard—reflecting the rising number of cases.
Haitham noted that most deaths he witnessed were of patients who arrived after long delays—especially from surrounding villages or among the elderly and those with chronic illnesses. Others, he said, recovered within 1–3 days after receiving timely treatment, which he described as “simple but essential.”
His account highlights the challenge of accessing treatment, particularly in conflict zones and remote villages, which contributes to higher mortality rates.
UN Warning
In its July 3, 2025 report, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that more than 33.5 million people, including 5.7 million children under five, are at risk from cholera. Cases are surging in Darfur, and cross-border transmission has been reported in Chad and South Sudan.
Since the war broke out on April 15, 2023, between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF, the country has faced compounding crises—mass displacement, loss of income, and disease outbreaks—placing Sudan at the center of what the United Nations has called “the world’s worst humanitarian disaster,” requiring urgent national and international action to save lives.
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The Sudan Media Forum and its member organizations are publishing this Jabraka News report as part of their coverage of the war’s catastrophic consequences - including the wide-scale cholera outbreak that has worsened in recent months. With the rainy season underway, there is growing fear that the crisis could escalate even further.
