Sudan is currently facing a cholera epidemic that has killed nearly two dozen people and sickened hundreds more in recent weeks, according to Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim. Due to contaminated drinking water and weather conditions, a total of 354 confirmed cases of cholera have been reported across the war-torn country. This recent outbreak comes after a previous major cholera outbreak in 2017 that left at least 700 dead and sickened about 22,000 in less than two months.
The cholera outbreak adds to the challenges facing Sudan, including devastating seasonal floods that have killed dozens and displaced over 118,000 people. The region has also been plagued by a civil war that began last year, with tensions between the military and paramilitary groups escalating into open warfare. Thousands have been killed, over 10.7 million people displaced, and famine confirmed in a camp for displaced persons in Darfur.
Amidst the chaos, a new round of ceasefire talks aimed at ending the conflict began in Switzerland, with the United States, Saudi Arabia, and other nations trying to bring the warring factions to the negotiating table. The Sudanese military-controlled sovereign council has agreed to send a delegation to meet with US officials in Cairo in response to mounting pressure to join the truce talks.
The ongoing cholera epidemic, along with the floods and civil war, has pushed Sudan into a state of crisis that requires urgent attention and intervention from the international community to prevent further loss of life and suffering.
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