Dozens of residents who fled the besieged town of al-Hilaliya in Sudan’s El Gezira state have tested positive for cholera, a medical source revealed, providing a grim explanation for the reported deaths of hundreds in the area.
Local activists report over 300 fatalities, while a diaspora group claims the death toll has surpassed 400 and continues to rise. The tragedy began on October 29, when the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a siege in retaliation for the defection of a senior RSF commander to the army. The initial RSF attack left at least 15 dead from gunfire, according to activists.
Amid rumours of intentional poisoning by RSF soldiers, medical sources confirm that many fleeing residents tested positive for cholera. Witnesses and medics say the RSF looted homes, hospitals, and essential infrastructure, forcing residents to depend on an old, shallow well potentially contaminated with sewage after solar-powered groundwater systems were dismantled.
Survivors described desperate conditions, with most residents taking refuge in mosque courtyards. Medical care was scarce after pharmacies and clinics were ransacked, leaving those who fell ill with stomach pains, diarrhea, and vomiting to suffer without treatment.
Escape came at a steep price. Eyewitnesses reported that RSF soldiers extorted large sums from residents seeking safe passage. Many remain trapped in the town, and thousands more are displaced across the region.
The U.N. recently confirmed a suspected cholera outbreak in eastern Gezira, one of several across Sudan, while a medical team in Omdawanban Hospital reported treating at least 200 cholera cases from the area.
As Sudan’s war between the army and RSF rages on, it continues to devastate the country’s infrastructure, fueling disease outbreaks and exacerbating one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
