At least 40 people have died in Sudan’s Darfur region in what health officials describe as the country’s worst cholera outbreak in years, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
The humanitarian group said the outbreak has been exacerbated by the ongoing conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has left millions displaced and without access to clean water.
MSF reported treating over 2,300 patients in Darfur in the past week alone, warning that the situation is “beyond urgent.” Nationwide, more than 2,470 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak began a year ago, with over 99,700 suspected cases reported by August 11.
Cholera, a bacterial infection spread through contaminated food and water, can cause severe diarrhoea, vomiting, and dehydration, and can kill within hours if untreated.
The war has forced over 380,000 people to flee to displacement camps in Tawila, North Darfur, where residents survive on just three litres of water per day, less than half the emergency minimum standard.
MSF noted that heavy rains have worsened the crisis by contaminating water sources and damaging sanitation systems, while the movement of displaced civilians is spreading the disease to other parts of Sudan and into neighbouring Chad and South Sudan.
“The cholera outbreak is now spreading well beyond displacement camps,” said Tuna Turkmen, MSF’s head of mission in Sudan. “Survivors of war must not be left to die from a preventable disease.”
