Nearly 700 dead as cholera spreads across South Sudan

A cholera outbreak in South Sudan has reached crisis levels, claiming nearly 700 lives in six months and overwhelming health services.

The United Nations has warned that children are among the most affected, with many of the fatalities being minors.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), 40,000 cases of cholera have been reported between late September and March 18, 2025.

Verity Rushton, a UNICEF emergency specialist based in Juba, described the situation as the most severe cholera outbreak the country has experienced since independence.

"This is the worst outbreak South Sudan as an independent country has ever faced," Rushton stated.

Children remain the most vulnerable, with UNICEF reporting that half of the recorded cases are among those under 15, and one-third of the deaths involve children under 14.

The outbreak has spread across nine of the country's ten states, with Jonglei in the east registering the highest number of infections.

The worsening health crisis comes at a time when South Sudan is grappling with ongoing political instability and economic struggles, despite its oil wealth.

Conflict between forces loyal to President Salva Kiir and First Vice President Riek Machar has led to mass displacement, further complicating efforts to control the disease.

The outbreak in South Sudan is part of a wider crisis affecting eastern and southern Africa.

Angola has also reported over 7,500 cases and 294 deaths between January 7 and March 18, 2025, with UNICEF warning of a high risk that the situation could deteriorate further.

The international medical organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported an alarming increase in cholera cases as people flee violence in search of safety.

MSF stated that in one county in Upper Nile State alone, 400 cholera patients have been treated. The disease has already reached neighboring Jonglei, where MSF runs a 100-bed treatment center.

"With cholera spreading rapidly and violence ongoing, the need for medical care in Upper Nile State is more critical than ever," said Zakaria Mwatia, MSF's head of mission in South Sudan.

Recent fighting in Upper Nile State has displaced 50,000 people since February, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

The escalating violence has also disrupted medical services, forcing the closure of a cholera treatment unit in Nasir County and compelling 23 humanitarian workers to evacuate the area.

South Sudan has seen a rise in cholera cases over the past three years, with health experts linking the situation to poor sanitation and limited access to clean water.

The last major outbreak, between June 2016 and December 2017, claimed 436 lives.

Cholera, which leads to severe diarrhea and dehydration, can be fatal if untreated, but it is manageable with antibiotics and hydration therapy.