Sudan is grappling with a rapidly spreading cholera epidemic, exacerbated by the ongoing civil war and torrential rains that have displaced thousands. The waterborne disease has claimed hundreds of lives in the past two weeks, with the Sudanese Ministry of Health reporting a significant surge in cases. Overcrowding, lack of essential services, and poor sanitation have contributed to the spread of the disease.
Dr. Dirar Abeer, a member of Khartoum’s Emergency Response Rooms, notes that Omdurman, one of the national capital’s three cities, has become overcrowded with “thousands of people returning from Egypt alone.” This influx has accelerated the spread of cholera, a highly contagious diarrheal infection that can be fatal if left untreated. Volunteer Badawi adds that “in areas south of the Nile in Omdurman, there are a lot of corpses rotting next to [or in] the Nile, and this has partially caused the spread of infection.”
The healthcare system is on the brink of collapse, with hospitals overwhelmed and ill-equipped to handle the influx of patients. Medic Kareem al-Noor from al-Nao hospital in Omdurman says, “We do not have enough medication or medical tools, and the rate of people coming to the hospitals is far more than we can handle.” Dr. Abeer criticizes the health authorities, stating that they are not doing enough to tackle the epidemic.
The crisis is further compounded by an acute hunger crisis, with 25 million people – over half the population – suffering from extreme food shortages. Alex De Waal, an expert on Sudan and famine, warns that “we could see an excess of hundreds of thousands of deaths [due to these factors] over the next year.” The UN has also warned that up to one million children could die from cholera unless the spread is thwarted quickly.
De Waal emphasizes that repairing basic provisions such as electricity and sewage systems is crucial to improving sanitation and curbing the health crisis. However, he suspects that the army is prioritizing combat operations against the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) over humanitarian needs, stating that “my sense is the army is too stretched financially and organisationally to prioritise anything other than fighting the war.”