The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan continues to deepen as cholera is increasingly spreading.
Addressing the media on Monday in New York, Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres, said that on Sunday, an association of Sudanese doctors in Tawila, in North Darfur, reported more than 1,300 confirmed cholera cases in just one week.
“This is a dramatic surge and underscores the urgent need to scale up our response. Tawila, if you will recall, is hosting several hundred thousand displaced men, women, and children, the majority of whom fled deadly attacks on the famine-stricken Zamzam camp near El Fasher in mid-April,” he stated. “Our partners on the ground have been struggling to keep pace with the growing needs in the area, and the challenges will only increase as the rainy season sets in.”
According to Dujarric, local and international partners have set up cholera treatment centers, but the current capacity is far from sufficient to cope with the rising caseload. He added that additional resources are needed immediately, including more treatment centers, mobile health facilities, ambulances, and waste management tools.
“Meanwhile, in eastern Sudan, in Kassala State, OCHA says that earlier this month more than 1,400 people were displaced because of the flooding that followed heavy rains,” he said. “More than 280 homes were destroyed. A rapid needs assessment mission by OCHA and our partners found that people who returned to their villages are forced to rely on open water pools contaminated by waste and other pollutants, as no other source of water is available. This, obviously, increases the risks for waterborne diseases.”
The spokesperson added that in White Nile State, many residents are beginning to return to their homes in Um Rimta locality.
“An assessment by OCHA and our partners last week found that health, water, sanitation, and hygiene support is urgently needed. We and our partners are working to mobilize supplies before the rain cuts off access,” he said.
Returns to Khartoum and Blue Nile States are also increasing, with authorities beginning to restore basic services, Dujarric added.
“At Sudan’s northern border, returns from Egypt have surged. IOM tells us that nearly 200,000 people have crossed back into Sudan so far this year. IOM says that since November last year, more than 1.3 million people have returned to their areas of origin,” he stated. “However, those returning face serious challenges, especially from the threat posed by unexploded ordnance. These conditions often lead families to return to displacement sites, undermining the sustainability of these efforts.”