Sudan Media Forum: Khartoum, June 28, 2025 (Sudan Tribune) – Images showing hundreds of decomposing bodies, reported to be victims of Sudan’s spreading cholera epidemic, are being circulated on social media by activists. Volunteers in Khartoum, Al Jazirah state, and the Darfur region shared the grim visuals, which have been authenticated by official sources in Khartoum.
Concerns are mounting as Sudan’s rainy season begins, with doctors and medical experts warning of a potential resurgence of the epidemic. The threat looms over many areas, including Khartoum, where residents displaced by two years of war are slowly starting to return.
“We recently buried numerous cholera victims in Omdurman, especially in the city’s southern district,” humanitarian volunteer Ahmed Farouk told Sudan Tribune. Medical reports have suggested that residents there were drinking from a water station contaminated during the war, leading to widespread illness and many deaths. A Health Ministry inspection report underscored the risk, revealing that 328 of 1,412 water sources tested were unsafe.
An official at the Khartoum State Ministry of Health, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Sudan Tribune the presence of decomposing cholera victims in southern Omdurman. He said authorities were conducting sterilization operations but did not specify the exact locations.
The crisis extends to Darfur. Volunteer (L.M.) described “hundreds of bodies” across East, West, and South Darfur, alleging that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are refusing to cooperate with medical teams to contain the outbreak. She noted that the sight of bodies scattered across various regions is creating public panic, and that access to many affected areas, including villages in Al Jazirah, remains extremely difficult.
Sudan Tribune was unable to independently verify these reports from RSF-controlled territory due to communication blackouts, including the disruption of satellite internet services.
Last month, Health Minister Haitham Mohamed Ibrahim reported 600 to 700 new cholera cases weekly, primarily in Khartoum, with dozens of fatalities. The World Health Organization (WHO) has stated that 20 million people in Sudan require emergency health aid across 18 states facing cholera outbreaks. “With the onset of summer, we will witness a new wave of cases,” WHO Sudan representative Dr. Shible Sahbani warned this month.
In response to the outbreak in Omdurman two months ago, Khartoum’s health ministry formed an emergency committee. The anonymous ministry source confirmed that ten treatment centres have been established, mostly in Omdurman, and that Bahri Teaching Hospital will soon be operational, offering a “good opportunity to contain and eliminate the disease.” He stressed the need for urgent health planning for the rainy season, stating that authorities are on high alert with adequate medical supplies.
Medical sources report that cholera has permeated the states of Khartoum, Al Jazirah, Sennar, Kordofan, and Darfur. They warn that while the current wave may be receding, a resurgence with the seasonal rains is highly likely. Areas like Tawila and Jebel Marra are already seeing heavy rainfall, worsening the tragic conditions for displaced populations, according to the General Coordination for Displaced Persons and Refugees. The full extent of the outbreak in these inaccessible regions remains unknown due to ongoing clashes.
At the end of May, former Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok stated he had briefed international health and humanitarian bodies on the “dire health situation” in Sudan. Around the same time, the Health Ministry expressed alarm after registering 2,729 cases and 172 deaths in a single week, with 90% of infections occurring in Khartoum state.
The Sudan Media Forum and its member institutions are publishing this material, prepared by the Sudan Tribune, to reflect the humanitarian and health crisis that has hit various parts of Sudan, especially conflict zones.
