Wednesday, July 1, 2026 - A cholera outbreak in Sudan has killed 120 people, with another 1,102 suspected cases registered since May in isolated war zones, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, July 1.
More than three years of civil war between Sudan’s army and
the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have decimated the country’s
healthcare system, creating an environment where preventable waterborne
diseases can spread unchecked.
This marks Sudan’s third wave of cholera in as many years,
beginning just two months after the previous outbreak was officially declared
over in March. Between July 2024 and March 2026, over 124,400 people were
infected and 3,500 killed during that prior wave, according to formal
government figures.
While cholera used to hit the northeast African country in a
cyclic manner every three years, near-continuous outbreaks are now occurring
due to the conflict, extreme constraints in humanitarian access, and heavily
limited medical supplies. The situation is expected to worsen in the coming
weeks with the surge of Sudan's rainy season.
Flooding historically causes cholera cases to balloon as
millions of displaced persons lack access to clean water, while the rains
simultaneously ruin roads and further impede humanitarian rescue operations.
The Sudanese government officially declared the latest
outbreak in the flashpoint West Kordofan state, which acts as the dividing line
between army and paramilitary zones of control. Constant, deadly drone strikes
launched by both factions have made commercial and aid access to the Kordofan
region increasingly dangerous, bringing hundreds of thousands of residents to
the brink of starvation. The WHO noted that the outbreak is rapidly spreading,
following reports of close to 300 suspected cases and three deaths in
neighboring North Kordofan.
The United Nations has already warned that the RSF is
preparing to mount a deadly ground assault on the state capital of El-Obeid.
Ongoing drone strikes on that city’s power stations are already disrupting
access to lifesaving drinking water and electricity, prompting warnings of mass
atrocities from UN humanitarian officials.
Three years into the civil war, which aid groups estimate may
have killed more than 200,000 people, roughly 40 percent of Sudan's health
facilities are completely non-functional, while the remaining 60 percent are
only partially operational.
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