24-30 August Sudan News Summary: Spread of disease, effects of war on children, dangerous weather

31 Aug

Arabic news roundup

By William Greenwood

Malaria and dengue fever have recently spread across large parts of Khartoum, despite state authorities announcing a spraying campaign to combat mosquitoes and disease vectors.
The Khartoum State Emergency Room stated in a statement that "a health disaster is looming as a result of the overcrowding of health facilities with patients infected with malaria, dengue fever, and cholera."
Organisations and government agencies have appealed for urgent intervention to rescue the situation and urged all citizens to take preventative measures, such as placing recycled oil in stagnant water to reduce the breeding of mosquitoes and flies.
This month, Khartoum State has experienced heavy rainfall, which has contributed to the deterioration of the environmental situation due to the lack of drains and the weak government response to draining stagnant water.

More than 522,000 infants have died from infectious diseases, and 45,000 children have died from malnutrition since the outbreak of the war in Sudan. Hundreds of thousands more face the risk of slow death, amid the near-total collapse of the health system, vaccinations, and basic services.
Data from the World Health Organization and UNICEF showed that Sudan had the lowest vaccination coverage in the world last year, with 880,000 children not receiving their first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (DTP1) vaccine, placing them in the category of "children without a dose," the group most at risk of dying from preventable diseases.
"The conflict has set Sudan back 40 years of progress in protecting children," said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa. He warned that the situation threatens not only Sudan, but the entire region due to the risk of epidemics being transmitted through displacement and crossing borders.
According to surveys conducted between From December 2024 to July 2025, states such as North Darfur, Sennar, and East Darfur recorded rates of acute wasting exceeding the critical threshold of 15% in more than 90% of the locations covered by the survey.
Children are subjected to complex violations, including killing, displacement, deprivation of education and healthcare, and severe malnutrition, in addition to systematic sexual violence that has even affected girls under the age of ten.

Several Sudanese states experienced heavy rains accompanied by strong storms over the past 48 hours, resulting in the deaths of 27 people, 23 of them in River Nile State, north of Khartoum, which is the state with the highest number of deaths.
The rains that hit the state over the past two days have completely damaged 290 homes and partially damaged 2,038 others, in addition to destroying two government facilities.
Meteorologist and weather activist Munther Ahmed Al-Haj confirmed that "the wave of rains hitting the country is the heaviest in decades and will be a historic event”, predicting that the Northern and River Nile states in northern Sudan will experience very heavy rains, and calling on authorities to raise the alert level to the red level in both states.
The Sudanese Meteorological Authority had previously issued an orange alert on August 18, indicating a high degree of danger, as it expected heavy rains accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds in a number of Sudanese states.

By Samuel Hunt

After 500 days under siege, an estimated 260,000 civilians, including 130,000 children, remain trapped in desperate conditions, cut off from aid.
The city has become an epicentre of child suffering, with malnutrition, disease, and violence claiming young lives daily, UNICEF has warned.
“We are witnessing a devastating tragedy – children in El Fasher are starving while UNICEF’s lifesaving nutrition services are being blocked,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell.
The siege is colliding with Sudan’s worst cholera outbreak in decades. The city has only one hospital operating at 20% capacity, and medicine for chronic illnesses is running out.

At least 8,569 infections and 361 deaths have been recorded in Darfur as of Wednesday, the 27th August, with most of the victims being women and children.
The Health Ministry has reported 102,831 infections and 2,561 deaths since the epidemic began in August 2024.
In overcrowded camps around Tawila, Zamzam, and El Fasher, children weakened by hunger are now especially vulnerable to cholera and other deadly waterborne diseases.
“The epidemic has now spread beyond displacement camps into multiple areas across Darfur and beyond,” said the MSF’s mission chief, Tuna Turkmen. “The international response must provide clean water, sanitation, and vaccinations to prevent further deaths.”

Bill Greenwood