The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported this Friday the detection of a new cholera outbreak in the western region of Sudan, where the disease has already caused at least 114 deaths and 1,330 confirmed infections. The UN health agency calls for an urgent response and warns that the impact of the outbreak is amplified by the armed conflict plaguing the country.
"Cholera has returned and is affecting several states, mainly in the western part of the country, Darfur and Kordofan," reported Dr. Shible Sahbani, WHO representative, who urged the international community to act as the disease could spread among the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled cities and rural areas of North Kordofan due to the conflict.
Sahbani explained that the mortality rate associated with the outbreak stands at 13.7%, a level described as "extremely high," and warned that the situation could deteriorate further with the arrival of the next rainy season.
The country is currently experiencing what is considered the largest humanitarian emergency on the planet, with more than 33 million people in need and 21 million requiring healthcare. Since the start of the war on April 15, 2023, at least 59,000 people have lost their lives. In this context, the WHO is "especially concerned" about the spread of the virus towards El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, a central scene of attacks and under siege by the warring parties, where humanitarian assistance can barely enter.
"We are particularly concerned about the spread [of cholera] to El Obeid, in North Kordofan, where access is very limited and the fragile health system is under increasing pressure. Health centers are collapsing and access to medical care is very, very limited," he stated.
The WHO indicated that it has pre-positioned enough medical supplies to treat more than 25,000 people in El Obeid, although Sahbani acknowledged "that it is not enough." In addition, last Monday the organization delivered 8.5 tons of supplies to the towns of Kadugli and Dilling, in South Kordofan.
In this scenario, the WHO representative has backed the warnings of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, who called for avoiding new "atrocities" in El Obeid following the latest offensives by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group involved in the conflict.
"We call on our partners and donors to help us, firstly, to access El Obeid and, secondly, to send sufficient supplies and facilities. We know that the situation there is very serious and is worsening, with an increased risk of disease outbreaks, malnutrition, and violence, including violence against women and children," he concluded.