The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Monday that hundreds of thousands of children are at risk in North Darfur amid a cholera outbreak.
In a statement, UNICEF reported that “conflict has intensified in North Darfur since last April. In addition to the cholera outbreak, the lives of more than 640,000 children under the age of five are increasingly threatened by violence, disease, and hunger.”
The agency noted that hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee to Tawila, about 70 kilometers from El Fasher, where displaced persons are facing dire conditions, including severe shortages of food, water, and shelter, along with a growing risk of disease outbreaks.
Tawila locality, which is under the control of the Sudan Liberation Movement led by Abdel Wahid al-Nur, is hosting around 560,000 displaced people—most of whom fled from El Fasher and the Zamzam and Abu Shouk camps—who are living in harsh conditions due to rising prices, and shortages of food, water, and healthcare services.
UNICEF stated that over 1,180 cholera cases have been reported in Tawila, including 300 cases among children, and 20 cholera-related deaths have been recorded since the outbreak began on June 21.
