Sudan is currently facing the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations and other aid agencies, as ongoing violence, displacement, and collapse of infrastructure continue to devastate the country. A new report from UNICEF reveals that more than 640,000 children under the age of five in North Darfur are at serious risk due to a combination of escalating conflict, food shortages, disease outbreaks, and especially a fast-spreading cholera crisis.

The cholera outbreak began on June 21, 2025, with the first confirmed case in Tawila, a city that has become a refuge for more than half a million internally displaced people. Since then, the number of infections has surged to over 1,180 cases, including around 300 children, with at least 20 deaths recorded in the city alone. Across the entire Darfur region, the number of confirmed cholera cases has reached approximately 2,140, with at least 80 deaths reported.

The crisis has been worsened by the violent conflict that resumed in April 2025. North Darfur, one of the hardest-hit states, has seen hospitals bombed and healthcare facilities near conflict zones forced to shut down. This has severely limited access to medical care. The lack of clean water and adequate sanitation in overcrowded displacement camps has led to rapid disease spread, with children being the most vulnerable.

UNICEF reports that the number of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition in North Darfur has doubled in the past year. Malnourished children are significantly more vulnerable to infections such as cholera and are at a higher risk of dying without timely medical intervention.

The report stresses that unless immediate and safe access is granted to provide life-saving nutrition, healthcare, and clean water, the number of preventable child deaths will continue to climb. UNICEF’s Sudan Representative, Sheldon Yett, warned that although cholera is both preventable and treatable, it is wreaking havoc in Tawila and across Darfur, endangering the lives of children who are already weakened by hunger and displacement.

Despite the immense challenges, UNICEF continues to work with partner organizations to mitigate the crisis. In Tawila, 30,000 people now have access to chlorinated drinking water through water trucks, repaired wells, and new storage facilities. In Daba Naira, 150,000 people have received hygiene kits, including chlorine tablets to make water safe for drinking at home.

In its effort to control the outbreak, UNICEF is also preparing to distribute 1.4 million doses of oral cholera vaccines across the affected regions. However, the agency warns that the scale of need is growing faster than humanitarian workers can respond, and calls for immediate, unimpeded access to deliver aid to those in need.

With violence ongoing and humanitarian needs surging, the situation remains precarious. UNICEF and other organizations are urgently appealing for international support to save the lives of Sudan’s most vulnerable children.