Handling in Darfur: 1,000 dead and cholera risk increase!

Handling in Darfur: 1,000 dead and cholera risk increase!

On Sunday, a devastating landslide occurred in the Marrah mountains in the Darfur region, Sudan, which buried an entire village under mud mass. It is estimated that up to 1,000 people were killed, while around 5,000 animals fell victim to the accident. Francesco Lanino from Save the Children warned of the risk of water pollution and the spread of epidemics in the region.

As a result of the landslide, there are other mudslides, which tightens the already tense situation. A team from Save the Children reached the disaster area on Thursday after a ten-hour donkey trekking tour. The helpers now take care of around 150 survivors, including 40 children who are traumatized and have lost everything. Many of these survivors are internal refugees who had been looking for protection in the region from the violent acts of civil war.

Cholera outbreak in Sudan

The humanitarian catastrophe is additionally reinforced by a severe cholera outbreak in the region. According to Doctors Without Borders, at least 40 people died of cholera last week. A total of 99,700 suspected cases and over 2,470 deaths have been reported from the outbreak a year ago. The country has suffered from the worst cholera epidemic for years, which is particularly due to the civil war that has been going on for two years.

Access to drinking water and basic hygienic conditions is severely restricted. The area around Tawila is particularly affected, where 380,000 people have fled due to fights and only have an average of only three liters of water a day. Cholera, which is transmitted by contaminated water and food, can be fatal within a few hours. The mortality rate in Sudan is 2.1 percent, more than two and a half times as high as the global average.

Help and measures

So far there are no relief supplies on the market in Golo, the next largest city. That is why the helpers from their own warehouse brought medication, chlorine tablets and plastic tarpaulins to help the survivors. However, there are great uncertainties regarding the accommodation of the survivors; Some have found refuge in surrounding villages, while others are homeless. Safety concerns regarding accommodation make it also difficult for internal refugees because there is afraid of attacks by the paramilitary militia RSF.

The cholera outbreak and the intensifying humanitarian crisis in Sudan have led to an international outcry. The EU and 28 other countries are calling for an immediate humanitarian break and an end to the siege of al-fascular, the last city in Darfur, which is controlled by the Sudanese army. 60 people died of malnutrition there last week, while the conflict between the army and the RSF militia triggered the greatest hunger and refugee crisis in the world.

The situation in Sudan remains dramatic and requires immediate measures to save the affected population and to contain the cholera, which not only affects the Darfur region, but also increasingly also the neighboring countries such as Chad and South Sudan.