A deadly cholera outbreak is sweeping through overcrowded displacement camps in western Sudan’s Darfur region, leaving aid workers struggling to contain the spread amid severe shortages of clean water, sanitation, and medical supplies.
In Tawila, North Darfur, where nearly half a million people have fled from El-Fasher and other conflict zones since April, the first cases were detected in early June in the nearby village of Tabit. Within weeks, the infection had spread through Tawila’s camps, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
More than 1,500 cholera cases have been treated in Tawila in the past month alone, with UNICEF reporting about 300 infections among children since April. Across Darfur, UN figures show at least 2,140 infections and over 80 deaths by July 30, while more than 640,000 children under five remain at risk.
Cholera, a highly contagious waterborne disease, causes severe diarrhoea and rapid dehydration, and can kill within hours if untreated. While preventable and generally treatable with oral rehydration solutions or intravenous fluids, the conditions in Tawila’s makeshift shelters make prevention nearly impossible.
“We don’t have soap. We don’t have toilets. The children relieve themselves in the open,” said one displaced woman, describing the overcrowded, insect-infested living spaces where contaminated water is often the only option.
MSF has established a 160-bed cholera treatment centre in Tawila, with plans to expand to 200 beds, and another unit in Daba Nyra camp. However, both facilities are already overwhelmed.
Aid delivery has been severely hampered by ongoing fighting between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), as well as the rainy season, which threatens to flood contaminated water sources and worsen the outbreak.
The World Health Organization says cholera has now spread to all Sudanese states, with nearly 100,000 cases reported nationwide since July 2024. UNICEF reports at least 2,408 deaths across 17 of Sudan’s 18 states since August 2024, warning that the combination of conflict, hunger, and disease is pushing the country deeper into crisis.
