A cholera outbreak in Sudan is at risk of spiralling further as fighting, mass displacement and the start of the rainy season make it harder to contain the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned.
The outbreak was declared on 27 June and has already claimed at least 114 lives. More than 1,300 people have been infected, with cases reported across several states, particularly in Darfur and Kordofan, where access for medical teams and aid workers remains severely restricted.
"Cholera is back," WHO representative in Sudan Shible Sahbani told reporters in Geneva via video link from Libya.
He warned the situation could deteriorate quickly.
"There is a case fatality rate of 13.7%, which is extremely high, and of course, the rainy season is expected to worsen the situation," Sahbani said.
Cholera is a highly infectious disease that causes severe diarrhoea and can be fatal if left untreated. It spreads rapidly in areas where access to clean drinking water and proper sanitation is limited.
Sudan is already facing what the WHO describes as the world's largest humanitarian emergency. More than 33 million people need humanitarian assistance, while around 21 million require healthcare.
Hospitals and clinics are struggling to cope after more than two years of conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Many health facilities have been damaged or forced to close, leaving millions without access to basic healthcare.
The WHO is particularly concerned about the besieged city of al-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan, where fighting has intensified and humanitarian access remains extremely limited.
Health facilities there are overwhelmed as medical staff struggle to treat growing numbers of patients with limited supplies.
Earlier this month, a United Nations official warned that al-Obeid risked becoming the scene of another human rights catastrophe, similar to what unfolded in al-Fashir, North Darfur, after a prolonged siege by the RSF.
Sahbani echoed those concerns.
"There is the risk that it will become the second al-Fashir, or even worse," he said.
With heavy rain expected in the coming weeks, aid agencies fear the outbreak could spread even faster, particularly among displaced families living in overcrowded camps with limited access to clean water and sanitation.
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