KEY POINTS
- Over 25 million Sudanese need urgent food and healthcare.
- Cholera cases surpass 20,000 in a worsening outbreak.
- Aid workers face immense challenges in providing life-saving care.
The war in Sudan could claim countless more lives if immediate action is not taken, as famine and disease spread while fighting intensifies and aid workers struggle to gain access, a senior World Health Organization official said Tuesday.
Cholera outbreak accelerates while aid workers struggle to provide help
Nearly 18 months of conflict have created the world’s biggest internal displacement crisis, leaving more than 25 million people—over half of Sudan’s population—in desperate need of food and healthcare. “Malnourished children and mothers are dying due to lack of access to care, and cholera is spreading in many parts of the country. Aid workers face immense challenges,” WHO Regional Director Hanan Balkhy said during a briefing in Cairo.
“Without immediate intervention, famine and disease will claim countless more lives,” she added.
WHO calls for urgent action as food and healthcare shortages worsen
While estimates of the death toll run into the tens of thousands, they remain highly uncertain, with control of the country split between the army and the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF), and health facilities severely impacted. In the capital, Khartoum, 75% of health facilities are out of operation, while the situation in the west and south of the country is worse, according to the WHO.
Reuters reported that more than 20,000 cholera cases have been reported this year in half of Sudan’s 18 states, an outbreak spreading faster than the one in 2023, said Richard Brennan, WHO’s regional emergency director.
An oral cholera vaccination campaign is set to begin this week following the arrival of 1.4 million doses, with an additional 2.2 million doses expected soon, he said.
The war between the factions began in mid-April 2023 after tensions erupted over internationally backed plans for a transition to civilian rule.
