05-09-2024 | di COOPI

Sudan. Cholera emergency exacerbates an unstoppable crisis

Gedaref State, in eastern Sudan, is home to some 961,000 internally displaced persons, making it the third most displaced state in all of Sudan. To make matters worse, since July 2024, heavy rains and floods that have made sanitation conditions increasingly critical have created a breeding ground for the spread of disease. As of August 12, 2024, the Ministry of Health officially declared a cholera epidemic in Sudan, with Gedaref among the most affected states, and with a total of 384 cases and 20 deaths recorded between August 16 and 28.

Chiara Zaccone, Area Coordinator in Eastern Sudan for COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale since December 2023, has been working together with the field team to address the challenges of the humanitarian crisis. In this interview, our cooperator gives us an overview of the health situation in Gedaref state, amid the cholera epidemic and other health threats to the displaced and refugee population.

War, floods and disease

In sum, Gedaref state, already strained by the arrival of internally displaced persons from Khartoum, has been overwhelmed by new flows of people fleeing violence after the attack in neighboring Sennar state in June 2024 and flooding. These conditions have contributed to the spread of cholera in camps that are overcrowded and lack adequate sanitation facilities.

Sudan is experiencing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world. Our priority is to ensure that displaced families have access to clean water, sanitation and adequate health care.”

Zaccone points out that cholera represents only the latest in a series of health emergencies affecting an already extremely vulnerable population. Local health facilities are collapsing, unable to respond to the growing number of cases. Displaced families, living in fear of war and now also of an epidemic that can kill within hours, are particularly exposed. Other diseases linked to standing water, such as dengue, malaria and acute diarrhea, are still present and spreading rapidly, exacerbating the overall health crisis.

 

This is not the first time that Sudan has been hit by a cholera epidemic since the war began, just proof that one of the main causes of the spread of diseases such as cholera is the collapse of infrastructure resulting from the war.”

 

COOPI's humanitarian response

COOPI has implemented several actions to stem the cholera epidemic and improve sanitation conditions in the camps. Key initiatives include the distribution of water treatment kits to 1,600 vulnerable families and the installation of chlorine-treated clean water collection points. In addition, with funds from the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), 10 emergency latrines were built and awareness campaigns on proper hygiene practices were activated.

In addition, COOPI is working with local partner AlShraeg and the Ministry of Health to train community volunteers trained in good hygiene practices, who will help create awareness campaigns essential to the population, collect waste and promote proper hygiene practices in displaced camps. Starting in September, campaigns to control vectors of infection and distribute chlorine to disinfect water will also be implemented, helping to reduce the spread of diseases related to contaminated water.

As Chiara Zaccone recounts, humanitarian work in Sudan is made extremely complex by logistical and security difficulties. Flooding and impassable roads isolate some of the most vulnerable areas, making it difficult to reach displaced communities with essential goods and services. This lack of access makes humanitarian intervention even more critical.

Let's not ignore Sudan

Chiara Zaccone appeals for greater international commitment to address the humanitarian and health crisis in Sudan. Current resources are wholly insufficient to cover the needs of millions of people.

Let's not ignore what is happening in Sudan. International funds must be increased to cover the huge needs and stop the ongoing humanitarian and health crisis.” 

says Zaccone, drawing attention to the fact that war and its aftermath often do not receive the attention they deserve from the international community.

With more than 10 million people displaced and 14 million suffering from acute malnutrition, if action is not taken promptly, the region risks facing an even greater humanitarian catastrophe, with an exponential increase in disease and continued loss of life.

COOPI has continued, since 2004, to provide support to the most vulnerable groups affected by conflict and natural disasters, such as refugees, displaced persons and their host communities. Today, COOPI's work is more in the areas of development and humanitarian assistance in the WASH and distribution of non-food items (NFIs) sectors: drinking water and basic necessities such as blankets, small cooking utensils, water containers, plastic sheeting, and ropes to assemble temporary shelters while waiting for access to sites for the displaced.