Cholera and Hunger in Sudan: Humanitarian Crisis in North Darfur Escalates
Welthungerhilfe (WHH) Criticizes Planned Cuts to Humanitarian Assistance
Bonn/Berlin, 8 August 2025 – The people of Sudan are facing an increasingly unbearable humanitarian crisis. In El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, around 300,000 people have been trapped for over a year – without access to food, drinking water, or medical assistance. The supply situation is catastrophic: local markets have largely collapsed, and staple foods are scarcely available or unaffordable. Sorghum and wheat in El Fasher cost more than 400 percent above the prices in other parts of the country. Many families are going hungry, and children and elderly people are showing visible signs of malnutrition.
“Our staff in North Darfur report that the relentless fighting, with the blockade of the city, is making daily life unbearable for the people. We call on all parties to the conflict to immediately allow safe and unhindered access for humanitarian assistance,” says Mathias Mogge, Secretary General of WHH.
In the Tawila region, where around 370,000 people fled after the destruction of Zamzam IDP camp in April, the number of cholera cases is rising. Local WHH teams report catastrophic sanitary conditions. There is a lack of latrines, clean water, and medical care, and the number of cholera cases continues to grow. WHH is one of the few organizations still operating in 12 of North Darfur’s 18 districts – in areas controlled both by government forces and by the RSF. Undergoing enormous risk, staff distribute drinking water and hygiene kits, and organize cash assistance for particularly vulnerable families. Overall, nine million people in Darfur are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
“The critical situation in Sudan, with around 30 million people in need of support, is a stark reminder that urgent humanitarian assistance is essential. Germany can and should do more. However, the planned cuts to the German Federal Foreign Office’s humanitarian budget undermine Germany’s ability to provide support. This should be urgently reversed, especially given that the UN Humanitarian Response Plan for Sudan is currently funded at only around 20 percent,” Mathias Mogge emphasises.
WHH has been active in Sudan since 1998. Despite the tense security situation, it is currently implementing 19 projects with local partner organizations – focusing on food security, water supply, health, agriculture, and emergency support. Conditions in IDP camps such as Zamzam, Abushouk, and Al-Salam, as well as in cities like El Fasher, Mellit, and Kutum, are particularly critical.
Welthungerhilfe is one of the largest private aid organizations in Germany; it is politically independent and non-denominational. With courage and determination, it is striving for a world without hunger. Since it was founded on December 14, 1962, 12,777 overseas projects in about 72 countries have been supported with 5.42 billion euros. Welthungerhilfe follows the principle of empowering people to help themselves to sustainably improve their living conditions, offering everything from fast disaster relief to reconstruction and long-term development cooperation projects with national and international partner organizations.
