Sudan refugees face cholera outbreak with nothing but lemons for medicine

As fighting escalates in western Sudan, a cholera outbreak is worsening in the Tawila displacement camps in North Darfur, where hundreds of thousands live in dire conditions. The camps, hastily established and severely overcrowded, are hosting an estimated 380,000 people, most of them displaced from El-Fasher.

Water and sanitation infrastructure is almost non-existent, with no toilets and limited access to safe drinking water. Many residents resort to collecting water from nearby wadis, raising concerns over contamination. Health facilities are overwhelmed, with 1,594 cholera cases recorded in the past four weeks at the local treatment centre.

Aid workers report that the spread of the disease is accelerated by the scarcity of clean water, lack of hygiene facilities, and the absence of basic shelter and medical supplies. The situation is deteriorating rapidly, with the majority of new infections originating from the camps.