Khartoum: More than 170 people died of cholera in war-torn Sudan in one week, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday. A ministry statement revealed that 2,700 people contracted the disease in just one week, of whom 172 succumbed to the illness.

According to Anadolu Agency, the ministry stated that 90% of the cholera cases were recorded in Khartoum State. The region has experienced significant disruptions in energy and water supplies amid ongoing fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). The latest figures from the Health Ministry indicate that the total number of cholera cases in Sudan has reached 60,993, with 1,632 fatalities linked to the disease.

In August 2024, Sudanese authorities officially declared cholera a national epidemic. Recent developments have seen the Sudanese army regaining control of most areas in Khartoum State, which includes the capital’s three cities-Khartoum, Bahri, and Omdurman-as well as the East Nile area.

In other regions, the RSF maintains control over parts of North and West Kordofan and pockets in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Additionally, they control four out of five states in the Darfur region. The conflict between the RSF and the army, ongoing since April 2023, has resulted in thousands of deaths and created one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises.

More than 20,000 individuals have been killed and 15 million displaced, as reported by the UN and local authorities. However, US scholars’ research suggests the death toll could be around 130,000.