Cholera outbreak and violence deepen Sudan's humanitarian crisis

Cholera outbreak and violence deepen Sudan's humanitarian crisis
A displaced woman from Dalanj braids her grandmother's hair at a displacement registration center in El Obeid, North Kordofan State, Sudan, 15 January, 2026.
Reuters

A worsening cholera outbreak and escalating violence are deepening Sudan's humanitarian crisis, with more than 700 suspected cholera cases and 105 deaths reported in West Kordofan since mid-May, according to health authorities.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that conditions across the Kordofan region, particularly in El Obeid, North Kordofan, are deteriorating amid ongoing conflict and the collapse of basic services.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the crisis is unfolding as health systems have been severely weakened by prolonged fighting.

"WHO echoes concerns raised by the UN Security Council over the imminent risk of mass atrocities, and supports the demand for an immediate halt to assaults," Tedros said at a briefing in Geneva.

WHO and its partners are expanding access to clean water and sanitation, establishing cholera treatment centres, and prepositioning medicines and rapid diagnostic kits. Samples have also been sent to South Sudan for laboratory testing.

Escalating conflict prompts international warnings

Separately, the United Kingdom and several European allies on Tuesday called for an immediate halt to escalating violence in El Obeid, warning that the city is "on the precipice of an atrocity".

In a joint statement, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy and Norway expressed alarm over continued drone strikes by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which they said had targeted civilian infrastructure in and around the city.

Reports of mass deaths in detention facility

In a further development highlighting the worsening humanitarian situation, a Sudanese medical group reported that more than 215 civilians have died at Daqris Prison in South Darfur over the past two months.

Sudanese refugees from Darfur walk amidst a sandstorm at the Touloum refugee camp, amid ongoing conflict in their country, on the outskirts of the town of Iriba in Wadi Fira province, eastern Chad, 30 November, 2025.
Reuters

The Sudan Doctors Network said the deaths were linked to disease outbreaks, poor sanitation, torture and a lack of medical care inside the facility.

The group also reported that 31 detainees, including children, were recently transferred to a hospital in Nyala despite showing no visible signs of illness.

Tags