UNICEF: ‘Cholera in North Darfur Kills 20+, Infects 1,180, Including 300 Children’

04/08/2025 21:23 

TAWILA / ABU ZABAD / EN NUHOUD / SHEIRIA LOCALITY

According to a new United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) report, a deadly cholera outbreak is sweeping through Darfur and other conflict hit regions of Sudan, with children bearing the heaviest toll. In Tawila, North Darfur, over 1,180 cases, including an estimated 300 among children, and at least 20 deaths have been recorded since 21 June. The town has received more than 500,000 people displaced by violence since April.

In the report published yesterday, they state that across the five Darfur states, cases reached nearly 2,140 by 30 July, with at least 80 deaths. Nationally, more than 94,170 infections and 2,370 deaths have been recorded since August last year.

According to a statement by UNICEF, the conflict has left over 640,000 children under five at increased risk of violence, disease, and hunger. Health facilities have been bombed or shut down, while displacement sites lack clean water, food, and shelter, conditions ripe for outbreaks. Severe child malnutrition has doubled in North Darfur over the past year, making cholera far deadlier.

“Despite being preventable and treatable, cholera is ripping through Tawila and other parts of Darfur,” said Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative in Sudan. “Violence is driving needs faster than aid can reach. These children can’t wait another day.”

UNICEF is providing clean water, basic health support, and preparing over 1.4 million cholera vaccine doses. Aid efforts face major challenges from insecurity, looting, and bureaucratic delays, while supplies are running low.

West Kordofan

In West Kordofan, local authorities confirmed 80 deaths in Abu Zabad and 40 burials in En Nuhuod in a single day. It warned of severe medicine shortages and water contamination and called for a health emergency and urgent aid.

In East Darfur, a displaced child died from suspected cholera in Sheiria locality. Four other cases were recorded in a nearby camp with poor sanitation.

High toll in camps

The General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees has reported a sharp increase in cholera cases across displacement camps, with thousands infected and over a hundred deaths. 

Many camps are struggling with severe shortages of supplies and limited access to aid amid the rising outbreak. In South Darfur, more than 1,000 cases and 60 deaths have been recorded since May. 

Vaccination campaigns are underway in several regions, with over 519,000 people vaccinated as UNICEF and WHO continue to call for safe, sustained access to affected communities.