Sudan: Nearly 100 cholera deaths in past month
There have been nearly 100 deaths from a cholera outbreak in the White Nile State in the south of Sudan, exacerbating an already dire situation in the country after nearly two years of civil war.
Asharq al-Awsat reported on the 8th March that since February 20th, 2,700 people have contracted the disease according to Doctors Without Borders, also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF).
Of the 2,700 people who have caught the disease, it is believed that 92 people, including 18 children, have so far died in the White Nile state.
Sudan has been in the grips of a brutal civil war for nearly two years as the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) clash with the military backed government.
Earlier this year, the RSF hit the Rabak power plant with a missile, causing mass power outages across the region.
It is believed that it was due to this strike that the latest wave of cholera broke out.
As a result of the attack, people were forced to rely on water obtained from donkey carts due to the fact that water pumps were no longer useable.
The RSF have attacked critical infrastructure and civilian camps repeatedly throughout the conflict.
As reported by Maghrebi on December 13th 2024, the RSF attacked a hospital in al-Fashir, North Darfur, killing nine people in the process.
Marta Cazorla, an emergency coordinator for MSF in Sudan told reporters that: ‘Attacks on critical infrastructure have long-term detrimental effects on the health of vulnerable communities.”
The outbreak was at its peak between February 20-24th during which point the Kosti Teaching Hospital was becoming overwhelmed as patients were rushed in by their families.
Despite the fact that MSF provided 25 tonnes of supplies including beds and tents, the hospital still struggled to provide for patients.
The local health ministry in the White Nile provided communities access to clean water sources and banned the use of donkey carts in order to mitigate the spread.
A vaccine campaign was also launched once the outbreak began.
Asharq al-Awsat, Maghrebi
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