The cholera outbreak in Sudan has reached alarming levels, with hundreds of cases and dozens of deaths reported in four major states.
Khartoum, the capital, has been at the forefront of the affected states, along with Gezira, Sennar, and North Kordofan. According to Sudanese media reports on Tuesday, there have been growing calls for the urgent declaration of a health emergency.
In Omdurman, forty children died within days, amid shocking scenes in isolation centers where patients are forced to sleep on the floor. Deaths have also been reported in the town of Jebel Aulia, south of Khartoum, while volunteers have criticized the health authorities for their inaction and the obstacles facing relief efforts.
In Sennar, the number of cases has risen to 51, including five deaths, and the disease has spread to several neighborhoods amid reports of contaminated water sources.
Twenty deaths have also been recorded in the city of Al-Rahad in North Kordofan, with 40 cases and five deaths in another village east of the city.
The “Dabanga Sudan” website quoted former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok as saying that the health situation has become catastrophic, calling for urgent international intervention, especially from the World Health Organization.
In Gezira State, the Madani Resistance Committees warned of the spread of cholera and dengue fever amid a severe shortage of medicines and medical staff. Emergency lawyers have called for the declaration of a health emergency, the establishment of treatment centers, improvements to sanitation, awareness campaigns, and the guarantee of humanitarian aid delivery without political or security interference.
The war in Sudan broke out on April 15, 2023, between the army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the Rapid Support Forces led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti), affecting various parts of Sudan. This has had a significant impact on health services and the living conditions of Sudanese people, particularly exacerbating the crisis of internal and external displacement.
