Cholera kills 80, infects over 2,100 in Sudan’s Darfur: UNICEF

KHARTOUM / ISTANBUL

At least 80 people have died and over 2,100 cases have been recorded in Sudan’s five Darfur states until July 30, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Sunday.

In a statement, UNICEF said 20 people lost their lives to the outbreak while 1,180 cases were reported in Tawila, in the North Darfur State, since June 21.

“Across the five Darfur States, the total cholera caseload as of 30 July has reached nearly 2,140, with at least 80 fatalities,” it added.

The UN agency warned that more than 640,000 children are at risk of violence, hunger, and cholera across North Darfur.

“Despite being preventable and easily treatable, cholera is ripping through Tawila and elsewhere in Darfur, threatening children’s lives, especially the youngest and most vulnerable,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF representative for Sudan.

Despite the ongoing efforts on the field to stop the spread of the disease, “the relentless violence is increasing the needs faster than we can meet them,” Yett said.

He called for “safe, unimpeded access to urgently turn the tide and reach these children in need.”

“They cannot wait a day longer.”

UN figures show that over 94,170 cholera cases and more than 2,370 deaths have been reported across 17 of Sudan’s 18 states since August 2024.

Sudan has been ravaged by fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since April 2023, killing more than 20,000 people and displacing 14 million, according to the UN and local authorities. Research from US universities, however, estimates the death toll at around 130,000.