Sudan is witnessing a steep surge in suspected cholera cases, with the outbreak accelerating in the capital, Khartoum, and threatening to overwhelm an already collapsing health system, according to Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
In a statement released Friday, the organization said the number of suspected cases in Khartoum has risen significantly since April. The Sudanese Health Ministry recorded nearly 2,000 suspected cholera infections in the three weeks leading up to May 20.
Sudanese Minister of Health Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim said the state is registering between 600 and 700 new suspected cases each week. Dozens of deaths have been reported, although no official toll has been released.
The minister attributed the outbreak to the return of displaced residents to areas like Jabal Awliya and Al-Salha in Khartoum after the army regained control. These neighborhoods lack access to clean drinking water, creating fertile conditions for the disease to spread.
MSF reported nearly 500 new suspected cases in a single day, May 21, amounting to a quarter of the total cases recorded in the previous three weeks.
“This is not the first time that Sudan or Khartoum is affected by cholera,” said MSF medical coordinator Slaymen Ammar. “But the conflict has clearly compromised basic infrastructure, and this upsurge of cholera cases is definitely one of the consequences of the war.”
Ammar cited repeated drone attacks on power stations in Omdurman, which cut electricity to water treatment facilities, as a key factor. “Water treatment stations no longer have electricity and cannot provide clean water from the Nile,” he said.
Access to basic healthcare has also deteriorated. Many health centers in southern Khartoum have been damaged or shut down, and remaining medical workers have fled due to ongoing fighting.
Meanwhile, some medical sources suggest chemical poisoning as the cause. Sky News Arabia cited unnamed doctors who believe the symptoms seen in Omdurman and southern Khartoum may not be cholera.
“The rise in cases here isn't a cholera outbreak,” said one volunteer, speaking anonymously. “It's chemical poisoning from weapons stored at a military depot that leaked smoke and dust last week.”
According to the source, many patients experienced severe headaches and abdominal cramps, but not the classic symptoms of diarrhea or vomiting.
Media reports have varied, with some outlets citing 51 cholera-related deaths and more than 2,000 suspected cases. The Sudan Doctors Network reported 9 deaths and 521 cases at Al Nau Hospital in Omdurman.
The outbreak comes amid a wider conflict that began in April 2023 between the Sudanese army, led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces, headed by his former deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.
