East Nile cholera cases surge as displaced flee RSF violence

November 21, 2024 (KHARTOUM) – A surge in cholera cases is overwhelming health facilities in Khartoum’s East Nile district as thousands flee violence perpetrated by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in neighbouring Al Jazirah state, officials said on Thursday.

The East Nile Emergency Room reported a sharp rise in cholera infections, coinciding with the arrival of people displaced by recent RSF attacks in the Wad Ashib area of Al Jazirah.

“The health situation has become explosive,” an Emergency Room official said, citing increased patient numbers and a critical shortage of medical supplies.

Hospitals in Al Ban Jadid, Um Dawban, and Abu Delig have registered 246 cholera cases, including 37 deaths, since the beginning of October, according to medical reports. Umm Dawban Hospital is struggling to cope with the influx of patients, many of whom are arriving from Al-Masid, a town hosting a large number of displaced people.

The violence in Wad Ashib, part of the RSF’s retaliatory operations in eastern Al Jazirah, has led to a dire humanitarian crisis. A suffocating siege imposed on the town following the attacks has resulted in severe shortages of food and medicine, further compounding the health challenges faced by those fleeing the area.