Cholera deaths spark concern as conflict rages in Sudan

Sudan's Health Ministry said on Wednesday more than 430 people have died from cholera in the past month as heavy rains and floods in the country since June have contributed to the spread of the disease.

The number of infections has risen to about 14,000, the ministry said, while providing treatment in the affected areas has been complicated by the civil conflict that broke out in April last year. In its statement, the ministry added it was doing all it could to combat cholera in the affected states amid the rise in infections.

Last week, UNICEF warned that more than 3 million children are at heightened risk of contracting cholera and other deadly diseases in Sudan as the conflict drags on.

"Sudan is grappling with multiple disease outbreaks, including cholera, malaria, dengue fever, measles and rubella. An estimated 3.4 million children under 5 are at high risk of epidemic diseases," UNICEF said in a statement.

"The crises stem from significant declines in vaccination rates and the destruction of health, water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure as a result of the ongoing conflict. The deteriorating nutritional status of many children in Sudan puts children at even greater risk."

On Wednesday, agencies and member states of the United Nations, meeting at the General Assembly in New York, called for immediate steps to protect civilians, scale up humanitarian funding and access, and end the fighting once and for all.

Besides the threat posed by heavy fighting, disease is also spreading rapidly among malnourished communities whose immune systems have been greatly affected, they said.

On Tuesday, Chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat expressed grave concern over the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in Sudan, especially in El Fasher and Darfur.

Noting that there can be no military solution to the crisis in Sudan, Mahamat urged the two warring sides — the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces — together with their allies to immediately and unconditionally embrace a permanent and comprehensive cease-fire.

Humanitarian organizations operating in the country have raised an alarm over a major increase in fighting in recent weeks, with violence hitting a seven-month high in the country.

In a statement on Tuesday, Save the Children, a humanitarian organization, said more than 10 million people have fled their homes since the conflict broke out, making Sudan a country facing the world's largest internal displacement crisis.

"We are horrified that regions which used to be the breadbasket of the country, such as Darfur and Khartoum, have been turned into battlefields, leaving millions of people now just one step away from famine," said Mohamed Abdiladif, the organization's country director for Sudan.