The World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised an alarm over the rising number of cholera cases in Sudan, warning that the disease could spread to neighbouring countries such as Chad, where hundreds of thousands of Sudanese refugees are sheltering in overcrowded, unsanitary camps.
Speaking to reporters from Port Sudan via video link, Dr Shible Sahbani, WHO’s Representative for Sudan, said cholera had already spread to 13 Sudanese states, including North and South Darfur, which border Chad. As of Friday, at least 1,854 deaths have been recorded in the latest wave of infections.
“Our concern is that cholera is spreading,” Sahbani said. “If we don’t invest in prevention, surveillance, early warning, vaccination, and public education, it could spread not only to neighbouring countries but potentially across the region.”
The ongoing civil war between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, now in its third year, has devastated healthcare infrastructure and triggered widespread hunger and disease. In Khartoum, where the army recently reclaimed full control, drone strikes have disrupted electricity and water supplies, accelerating the outbreak.
Sahbani stressed the urgent need for humanitarian corridors and temporary ceasefires to facilitate vaccination campaigns and other disease control efforts, including for Dengue fever and malaria.
Cholera, a life-threatening diarrhoeal disease, spreads rapidly in areas lacking adequate sanitation. The situation is particularly dire for the estimated 300,000 Sudanese refugees now in Chad, many of whom are crammed into makeshift camps near the border with minimal access to healthcare and clean water.
“In overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, a potential outbreak could be devastating,” warned François Batalingaya, U.N. Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad. He noted that limited aid due to funding shortfalls is exacerbating the risk.
Although cholera has not yet been officially confirmed in Chad, suspected cases have been reported in Geneina, a Sudanese town just 10 kilometres from the border. Surveillance is also weak on the Libyan frontier, raising further concerns about cross-border transmission.
There is, however, some hope. In and around Khartoum, case fatality rates have declined in recent weeks following the launch of an oral cholera vaccination campaign earlier this month. Still, the WHO stresses that without immediate international support, the situation could deteriorate rapidly.