Date: 28/8/2024

For the second time since the war began in mid-April 2023, Sudan is witnessing a new wave of cholera outbreaks. On August 17, the Sudanese Minister of Health announced the spread of the epidemic amid ongoing floods that have swept entire villages, resulting in the death of more than 100 people and affecting over 120,000 others. The floods have also led to the emergence of various diseases, particularly an increase in diarrhoea cases among children, exacerbating the already dire conditions in the country.

As these circumstances have triggered new waves of displacement, including thousands of children, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has warned that the cholera epidemic poses a significant threat to displaced communities across the country. Children, who make up approximately half of Sudan’s displaced population, are particularly vulnerable, marking this as the largest displacement crisis for children globally.

The UNHCR has expressed particular concern about the spread of the epidemic in the states of Kassala, Gedaref, and Al-Jazira, noting that these states host thousands of displaced Sudanese as well as refugees from other countries. On August 24, the United Nations confirmed 658 cholera cases in five Sudanese states since July 22, with Kassala being severely affected, recording 119 cases across three refugee sites and five deaths from the disease, according to the Sudanese Ministry of Health. The Ministry has called for immediate and urgent international assistance.

Amid the epidemic’s spread, the UNHCR has warned of limited medical supplies, a shortage of healthcare workers, and the deteriorating infrastructure for health, water, sanitation, and hygiene. The agency has also highlighted an increase in waterborne diseases, including malaria and diarrhoea, particularly in refugee sites in South Sudan and Chad due to the onset of the rainy season. Alarming rates of malnutrition, measles, acute respiratory infections, and severe watery diarrhoea compound these issues.

As the country faces a major humanitarian disaster and urgently needs assistance, the UNHCR has confirmed that it and other partners have received only 22% of the required funding for the Regional Refugee Response Plan, which totals $1.5 billion, to provide aid in Sudan’s neighbouring countries. Meanwhile, the inter-agency response within Sudan has only been funded by 37%.