Cholera cases rise in Darfur as Sudan's toll tops 3,000, WHO says

Cholera cases in Darfur are increasing at an alarming rate, the World Health Organization said Tuesday, as Sudan’s death toll from the disease exceeded 3,000 in the 14 months since the current phase of the civil war began.

The agency said the outbreak has now spread to all 18 states after first erupting in Kassala state last July. In Darfur, the current surge arrived in May and has continued with limited ability to respond because of access constraints and ongoing fighting. As of Sunday, 12,739 cases and 358 deaths have been reported across more than half of Darfur’s localities, according to Hala Khudari, the WHO’s deputy representative in Sudan.

The UN health agency has begun a vaccination campaign in North Darfur aimed at protecting about 406,000 people. Khudari said the vaccination drive comes as caseloads in Darfur rise and the response is hindered by limited access to some communities, conflicts, and a lack of clean water and sanitation.

Separately, the broader Sudan outbreak has spilled across the country with more than 113,600 cases and over 3,000 deaths, yielding a fatality ratio of about 2.7 percent, well above the 1 percent target. The ongoing conflict between the Sudanese military and the RSF since April 2023 has displaced as many as 12 million people and killed tens of thousands, with both sides accused of abuses including atrocities against civilians.

The cholera surge occurs as the country also struggles with widespread hunger and damage to health infrastructure, complicating efforts to diagnose and treat cases and to deliver vaccines, oral rehydration solution, and clean water. Health authorities warn that without rapid, scaled response, the outbreak could worsen in parts of Darfur and beyond.