War-ravaged Sudan battles cholera outbreak

Increasing cases reported of deadly bacterial disease spread through contaminated water amid heavy rains.

Lying on a hospital bed, Aisha Mohammed said she was suffering from cholera symptoms, an increasingly common disease in Sudan where a prolonged war has ravaged the healthcare system.

Cholera, caused by contaminated water or food, had been common in Sudan, particularly during the rainy season even before a conflict broke out in April 2023 between rival generals.

But more than 16 months of fighting have forced most hospitals out of service, leaving the country of 48 million people struggling to control the sometimes deadly but treatable disease.

In the southeastern town of Wad al-Hulaywah, 40-year-old Mohammed received intravenous medicine to ease her symptoms and said she had acute diarrhoea.

Sudanese authorities and the United Nations have reported a surge in cholera cases amid several weeks of torrential rains that have battered parts of the country and displaced thousands.