Cholera outbreak in Darfur kills hundreds amid int'l neglect

By Mohammad Abdulaziz KHARTOUM, Aug 28 (KUNA) -- A cholera outbreak has swept through Sudan's Darfur region, infecting more than 7,780 people and causing 330 deaths, according to the latest figures from local displacement camp coordinators.
The disease, which began spreading in June, has surged rapidly since July, particularly in areas under the control of the Rapid Support Forces.
Camps in Tawila, Jebel Marra, Nyala, and Zalingei are among the hardest hit, with overcrowded conditions and limited medical supplies worsening the crisis.
Sudan's Health Minister Haitham Mohammad Ibrahim confirmed that the outbreak is now in its third consecutive year, despite the vaccination of 20 million people, and warned that all five Darfur states remain active hotspots, with four isolated localities in North Darfur struggling to receive aid.
Humanitarian groups, including Doctors Without Borders and the Sudanese Doctors for Peace and Development (SDPD), have described the situation as one of the worst cholera waves in years, with more than 99,000 suspected cases and 2,470 deaths recorded as of August 11, including 2,300 cases treated in Darfur and 40 deaths in a single week.
On August 14, the United Nations warned of the rapid spread of the disease, particularly in Darfur, where the Tawila Center was overwhelmed with infected people among hundreds of thousands of displaced persons.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported nearly 100,000 suspected cases and over 2,400 deaths nationwide this year, calling it a "collective failure" to contain a preventable disease.
WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that recent floods and widespread malnutrition could fuel new waves of cholera, malaria, and dengue fever, compounding the suffering of millions displaced by the war between Sudan's army and the Rapid Support Forces since April 2023. (end) mam.dss