07-08-2025
Sudan Faces Alarming Surge in Cholera Outbreak in Darfur
Sudanese health officials and humanitarian networks are sounding the alarm over a rapid and deadly surge in cholera cases across North Darfur, particularly in and around the city of El Fasher.
A spokesperson for the Sudanese Doctors Network told Al Jazeera that rising fatalities are being reported in El Fasher and other parts of western Sudan, warning that the worsening outbreak is being compounded by restricted humanitarian access to the affected areas.
Exclusive images obtained from the Tawila displacement camp in North Darfur reveal overcrowding of hundreds of cholera-infected patients in dire conditions, amid severe water shortages and an almost complete lack of medical services.
The Darfur Displaced Persons Coordination Office confirmed the outbreak is spreading quickly within camps that lack basic healthcare infrastructure. 'The situation is deteriorating by the day,' said a medical source inside the camp, citing the increasing number of infections and the absence of both treatment and food supplies.
In recent days, local health authorities have recorded a sharp escalation of cholera infections in displacement and refugee camps near the Sudan-Chad border, particularly west of El Fasher in the Darfur region.
According to the General Coordination of Internally Displaced Persons and Refugees in Darfur, the city of Tawila — located about 68 kilometres west of El Fasher — has reported 26 deaths and more than 1,430 confirmed cholera cases. The organisation issued a warning of a 'rapidly escalating' outbreak threatening camps and shelter centres that remain unequipped to handle the crisis.
The spread of cholera in Darfur adds yet another layer to the humanitarian emergency unfolding in Sudan amid continued conflict and displacement. Health organisations are urgently calling for safe access, clean water, and medical support to contain the outbreak before it spirals further.
