Africa
Sudan faces rapidly-spreading cholera outbreak, 1000 daily cases in capital
A fast-spreading cholera outbreak has hit Sudan with officials reporting more than 1,000 cases a day in the capital of the war-torn country.
The outbreak is centred around the capital, Khartoum, and has spread as many Sudanese who had fled the country’s war return home. Residents are often only able to find unclean water – which is a dangerous conduit for the disease – as much of the sanitation system has collapsed amid the civil war.
According to Nicolas Jean, the head of Doctors Without Borders mission in Sudan, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières or MSF, Khartoum is now getting above 1,000 cases a day.
He blamed the lack of clean water, hygiene and lack of access to health care for the rise in the spread of the disease.
Most cases have been reported in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman, but cholera was also detected in the provinces of North Kordofan, Sennar, Gazira, White Nile and Nile River, health officials said. Khartoum and Omdurman were a battleground throughout the civil war, which nearly emptied them of residents. The region of the capital was recaptured by the military in late March from its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.
Since then, some 34,000 people have returned. But the city has been wrecked by months of fighting. Many found their homes damaged. Clean water is difficult to find, in part because attacks on power plants have disrupted electricity and worsened water shortages, UNICEF said. Sanitation systems are damaged.
The “disease of poverty”
Health workers fear the outbreak could spread quickly, since many people are packed into displacement centres making it difficult to isolate those infected.
The health system has also broken down. More than 80% of hospitals are out of service and those that are operating have shortages of water, electricity and medication, said Dr. Sayed Mohamed Abdullah, of Sudan’s Doctors Union.
The World Health Organization describes cholera as a “disease of poverty” because it spreads where there is poor sanitation and a lack of clean water.
It is a diarrheal disease caused when people eat food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It is easily treatable with rehydration solutions and antibiotics. Most of those infected have only mild symptoms but, in severe cases, the disease can kill within hours if left untreated.
The WHO’s global stockpile of oral cholera vaccines has dropped below its minimum threshold of 5 million doses, making it increasingly difficult to stop outbreaks
At the same time, cholera epidemics have been on the rise around the world since 2021, because of poverty, conflict and extreme climate events like floods and cyclones, the U.N. says.
The civil war has devastated Sudan since it erupted in April 2023, when simmering tensions between the military and the RSF exploded into open warfare across the country. At least 24,000 people have been reported killed, though the number is likely far higher.
More than 14 million have been displaced and forced from their homes, including over 4 million who streamed into neighbouring countries. Famine was announced in at least five locations with the epicentre in the wrecked Darfur region.
Rwandan opposition leader Victoire Ingabire will remain in detention after judges at the Kicukiro Primary Court in Kigali denied her bail on Tuesday. The court cited the risk of flight and possible interference with an ongoing investigation as grounds for keeping her in pre-trial custody.
Ingabire, a prominent critic of President Paul Kagame, faces six charges, including forming or belonging to an illegal group and spreading hate messages intended to provoke international opinion against the government. Prosecutors argue that the evidence is strong enough to justify her continued detention while investigations proceed.
The charges are connected to the 2021 arrests of several of her supporters who had participated in an online political training session. Authorities allege that during the session, participants discussed a book titled “How to Topple a Dictator When You’re Alone, Small, and Unarmed,” which they claim indicates intent to incite unrest.
Ingabire has denied all accusations and previously called the charges politically motivated. She has long been one of the few opposition figures to remain politically active inside Rwanda, while many others have gone into exile. She was imprisoned in 2010 after returning from years in exile in the Netherlands and was later released under a presidential pardon in 2018.
Her latest legal troubles come as rights groups continue to raise concerns about political repression and the shrinking space for dissent in Rwanda. Ingabire’s next court appearance is scheduled for July 15.
Fans poured out of Rabat’s Olympic Stadium in high spirits on Sunday evening, following Morocco’s 3–1 win over Mali in the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations. The victory secured the Atlas Lionesses a spot in the semi-finals and brought waves of celebration to the capital.
Supporters gathered in large numbers, singing, waving flags, and expressing pride in the national team’s performance. For many, the win was about more than just football. It was a moment of national unity and progress.
“Honestly, we’re so happy. It was a great match. It really shows how much work has gone on behind the scenes,” said one enthusiastic fan. “God willing, we want even more in the semi-finals and the final.”
Among the excited crowd was the brother of one of the players, who shared an emotional reaction to the match.
“They played a really great game, there was so much intensity,” he said. “I also want to give a shoutout to my sister, Imène El Ghazouani, who made a strong performance even though she came on late in the second half.”
The focus now shifts to the semi-finals, where Morocco will face either Algeria or Ghana in a highly anticipated showdown. Beyond a place in the final, the stakes are even higher. The winner will earn a coveted spot in the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil.
For the Atlas Lionesses, the dream continues, and the nation is proudly standing behind them.
Dozens of chefs, community cooks, caterers, and culinary students are rolling up their sleeves in kitchens across South Africa this Mandela Day, united by one mission: fighting hunger, one pot of soup at a time.
Since 2009, South Africans have honoured Nelson Mandela’s legacy by volunteering 67 minutes of their time, one for each year he dedicated to public service. This year, a group of volunteer cooks is going big, aiming to prepare 67,000 litres of soup to feed the country’s most vulnerable.
“In our first year, I think 2020, we already exceeded the 67,000 litres,” said Hanneke Van Linge, Head of Nosh Food Rescue. “Last year, we did 104,000 litres in one day. Hotels, culinary schools, feeding schemes — they’re all cooking with rescued, donated produce and putting in as many litres as they can.”
The initiative is led by the NGO Chefs with Compassion, founded during the COVID-19 lockdown. Executive chef and chairman James Khoza said the rising cost of food and high unemployment are fuelling the country’s hunger crisis.
“If you look at prices, they’ve gone through the roof,” he said. “Mandela Day highlights hunger, poverty, and shows that chefs like us can do something meaningful.”
Despite being one of Africa’s top food producers, over 20 million South Africans go hungry daily, according to the 2024 National Food and Nutrition Security Survey. At the same time, 10.3 million tons of food are wasted annually, a crisis driven by poverty, inequality, and climate change.
-
Lifestyle5 days agoA rap festival near the Arctic Ocean delights crowds under the midnight sun
-
Europe4 days agoTrump’s 50-day shift on Ukraine is a big deal — but probably not for Putin
-
Lifestyle4 days agoRoman era mosaic panel with erotic theme that was stolen during World War II returns to Pompeii
-
Europe4 days agoAmerican accused in murders of mother and baby appears before Italian judge after extradition
-
Asia4 days agoThai police arrest woman who allegedly seduced and blackmailed Buddhist monks
-
Europe4 days agoRussia hawks face new dilemma over Trump’s 50-day Putin deadline
-
Africa4 days agoNigeria’s former president Buhari laid to rest in his hometown of Daura
-
Europe3 days agoRussia launches ‘massive’ drone bombardment on Zelensky’s hometown, Ukrainian officials say