Sudan Cholera Crisis Puts 1M Children at Risk

Sudan's escalating cholera outbreak is threatening the lives of over one million children, UNICEF warned, as the disease spreads rapidly across Khartoum and health infrastructure collapses under conflict conditions.

UNICEF confirmed 7,700 cholera cases since January in Khartoum alone, with 185 related deaths and more than 1,000 infections among children under five. Between May 15 and 25, daily case counts jumped from 90 to 815—a nearly ninefold increase.

The agency is working alongside Sudan’s Ministry of Health to curb the spread, but response efforts are hampered by infrastructure damage and violence.

UNICEF also highlighted the risk of famine in Jebel Awliya and Khartoum governorates, where one-third of Sudan’s acutely malnourished children reside. Of the 307,000 affected children nationwide, 26,500 suffer from severe acute malnutrition, the most life-threatening form.

More than 34,000 displaced people have returned to Khartoum this year, many to neighborhoods lacking clean water and sanitation.

Repeated assaults on Khartoum’s power infrastructure have caused widespread blackouts, disrupting water purification and worsening access to safe drinking water. The collapse of basic services has left health agencies struggling to contain disease outbreaks.

The humanitarian situation is deteriorating rapidly, with aid agencies warning of catastrophic consequences if immediate and large-scale intervention does not occur.