UN warns cholera and food crises escalate in North Darfur; requests urgent funding

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the health and food situation in Sudan is worsening, with a cholera outbreak in Tawila (North Darfur) and rising food insecurity across multiple states.

The briefing reported more than 1,500 suspected and confirmed cholera infections in Tawila since June, with over 500 people currently receiving treatment. Local authorities introduced emergency measures including market closures and bans on public gatherings. The UN said humanitarian organizations urgently require $120,000,000 to scale up life-saving support in Tawila over the coming months to contain the outbreak and sustain critical services.

The UN also warned of deteriorating food availability in North Darfur because of low cereal supply, poor harvests and prolonged deficits. In Abu Shuk camp, displaced families reportedly faced acute shortages of food and medicine, and local sources cited four hunger-related deaths in the previous week. The briefing said food prices had spiked dramatically in El Fasher: sugar rose about 960 percent and sorghum about 160 percent in a month, and the local food basket cost was over six times the national average in May among assessed localities.

The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) was cited as identifying famine conditions in parts of North Darfur and the Eastern Nuba Mountains and predicting further deterioration during the lean season from July to October in conflict-affected areas. The UN said last week it and partners distributed shelter materials and hygiene supplies to 2,000 newly displaced families, but that nearly 60 percent of displaced families still lack adequate shelter.