UN 
(SDGTALKING) By Bunyamin Surmeli – The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has announced that the humanitarian crisis in Sudan has deepened due to a cholera outbreak, floods, and inadequate humanitarian support. OCHA reported that thousands of displaced people have returned to their homes without access to basic services, increasing the risk of disease.
More than 1,300 confirmed cases of cholera were reported in just one week in the Tawila region of North Darfur state, highlighting the scale of the crisis. The Sudanese Doctors Association emphasized that this increase highlights the urgent need for increased health interventions. The region is home to tens of thousands of displaced people who fled attacks on the Zamzam camp near El Fasher in April.
Inadequate infrastructure and rainy season exacerbate the danger
OCHA stated that some treatment centers have been set up to combat cholera, but that they are insufficient to respond to the increasing number of cases. It was noted that there is a critical need for more treatment centers, mobile health units, ambulances, and waste management vehicles.
In Kassala State, eastern Sudan, more than 1,400 people were displaced after heavy rains destroyed over 280 homes in the village of Tirik. Returning families lack access to clean water and are forced to rely on contaminated pond water. Over 300 flooded toilets are also increasing the risk of outbreaks of disease.
Returns have begun in White Nile, Khartoum, and Blue Nile provinces
Residents of the Um Rimta region, who have been displaced for a year, have begun returning to White Nile Province. However, according to assessments, health, water, and hygiene infrastructure in the region is virtually non-existent. OCHA reported that it is working to deliver humanitarian aid before transportation is completely cut off due to rainfall.
Returns are also gaining momentum in the states of Khartoum and Blue Nile, where authorities have begun to restore basic services, albeit on a limited scale. On the northern border, there has been an increase in returns from Egypt to Sudan. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that approximately 200,000 people have returned to Sudan so far this year, with over 1.3 million people attempting to return home since November 2023.
However, returning civilians face a lack of basic services, infrastructure deficiencies, and explosive threats posed by remnants of war. These conditions are causing some families to be displaced again and disrupting efforts toward sustainable returns.
Armed attack on aid convoy leaves 8,000 people without assistance
Last week, an armed attack was carried out on an aid convoy belonging to a national civil society organization in the town of Zalingei in Central Darfur. Following the looting of the convoy, aid operations were forced to cease, leaving approximately 8,000 people without assistance.
OCHA has once again urged the international community to immediately end the conflicts in Sudan, protect civilians and humanitarian workers, and ensure unimpeded access for aid. The agency has also called for urgent support to address the rapidly escalating humanitarian needs across Sudan.
