A cholera outbreak in Sudan has claimed at least 120 lives, with 1,102 suspected cases recorded since May in conflict-affected areas, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Wednesday, July 1.
Sudan’s healthcare system has been severely weakened by more than three years of civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), allowing preventable waterborne diseases such as cholera to spread rapidly.
The latest outbreak is the country’s third in three years and began just two months after the previous wave was officially declared over in March. According to government figures, the earlier outbreak, which lasted from July 2024 to March 2026, infected more than 124,400 people and claimed over 3,500 lives.
While cholera previously occurred in Sudan in cyclical outbreaks every three years, the ongoing conflict, limited humanitarian access, and severe shortages of medical supplies have led to near-continuous transmission. Health officials warn the situation could deteriorate further as the country’s rainy season intensifies.
Seasonal flooding has historically fueled cholera outbreaks by contaminating water sources and leaving millions of displaced people without access to safe drinking water. Flooded roads also hamper humanitarian operations, making it even harder to deliver aid to affected communities.
The Sudanese government declared the current outbreak in West Kordofan, a strategic state that separates territories controlled by the army and the RSF. Persistent drone attacks by both sides have made commercial activity and humanitarian access increasingly dangerous, pushing hundreds of thousands of residents closer to famine.
The WHO said the outbreak is spreading quickly, citing reports of nearly 300 suspected cases and three deaths in neighbouring North Kordofan.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has warned that the RSF is preparing a ground offensive on the North Kordofan capital, El-Obeid. Repeated drone strikes targeting the city’s power infrastructure have disrupted access to electricity and clean drinking water, raising fears of a worsening humanitarian crisis and possible mass atrocities.
More than three years into the conflict, aid organisations estimate that over 200,000 people may have died. The war has also devastated Sudan’s health sector, with around 40 percent of health facilities completely out of service, while the remaining 60 percent are only partially operational.
