Sudan reports 70 cholera deaths in Khartoum in two days

At least 70 people have died in Khartoum, Sudan, in two days as a result of a cholera outbreak, according to local health officials.

Following 1, 177 cases and 45 deaths the day before, the health ministry in Khartoum state reported on Thursday 942 new infections and 25 deaths.

Khartoum, the capital city, has been the focus of the outbreak, which has been at the center of a conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) for more than two years.

Following drone attacks blamed on the RSF, the city lost access to electricity and water earlier this month.

Two months after retaking the capital’s heart from the paramilitaries, the army-backed government announced last week that it had evacuated RSF fighters from their final bases in Khartoum State.

The city’s sanitation and health systems are still ineffective, and the city is still devastated.

172 people died from cholera in the week to Tuesday&nbsp, 92 percent of them in Khartoum state alone, according to the federal health ministry. According to aid workers, the extent of the outbreak is getting worse as a result of the nearly complete demise of health services, with about 90% of hospitals shut down in key war zones.

According to Eatizaz Yousif, director of Sudan for the International Rescue Committee, “Sudan is on the verge of a serious public health disaster.” She told AFP that “the resurgence of cholera and other deadly diseases is being fuelled by the combination of conflict, displacement, destroyed infrastructure, and a lack of clean water.”

In 12 of Sudan’s 18 states, at least 1, 700 deaths have been reported since August 2024, including at least 1,700 deaths. In addition to more than 1, 000 infections in children under five, Kartova has also seen 7, 700 cases and 185 deaths.

With the upcoming rainy season, which is likely to further limit humanitarian access, the spread of disease is anticipated to get worse. The death toll could rise unless immediate action is taken, according to aid organizations.

More than one million children in Khartoum’s cholera-affected areas are in danger, according to UNICEF, according to the organization’s child protection agency.

Sheldon Yett, UNICEF’s representative in Sudan, remarked, “We are racing against time… to provide basic healthcare, clean water, and good nutrition. More children are being exposed to the double threat of malnutrition and cholera each day.