Africa-Press – South-Sudan. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, has issued a stark warning about the risk of a worsening cholera outbreak in the Abyei Special Administrative Area, citing severely deteriorated water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) conditions.
According to MSF, health authorities in Abyei officially declared a cholera outbreak on 11 June 2025, following a sustained rise in reported cases.
“The situation in Amiet is critical,” said Stéphanie Dongmo, MSF Project Coordinator in Abyei.
“The patients admitted with cholera to Ameth Bek Hospital in Abyei Town confirm an active outbreak. The risk of spread to Abyei town is high, especially with the return of the rains, extremely poor hygiene conditions, and the continued increase in the number of people arriving from Sudan coming into an already overcrowded space.”
MSF said informal settlements like Amiet market, where more than 50,000 displaced people fleeing conflict in Sudan have sought refuge, are among the hardest hit.
Many residents have limited access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and are forced to defecate in the open due to a severe shortage of latrines, further heightening the risk of disease transmission.
“The people in the Amiet area are living in overcrowded conditions with limited access to basic services,” MSF said, warning that the rainy season could exacerbate the crisis by increasing the spread of waterborne diseases and cutting off access to health services due to flooding.
Since 11 April 2025, MSF has been treating patients with cholera-like symptoms at Ameth Bek Hospital.
Between 2 and 28 June alone, 333 suspected cholera cases were managed at the MSF Cholera Treatment Unit (CTU) in Abyei.
The number of cases has surged in recent weeks, with 80 patients treated between 9–15 June, 77 between 16–22 June, and 94 between 23–28 June.
MSF called for urgent interventions.
“MSF calls for the urgent rollout of cholera vaccines and vastly improved water, sanitation, and hygiene programs by all relevant actors in affected areas,” Dongmo emphasized.
“Immediate and comprehensive actions, including deploying water trucks to provide clean water, soap, constructing more latrines, and improving the drainage systems, are critical to mitigate the crisis. These immediate actions are crucial to save lives and prevent further escalation of this critical public health emergency in Abyei.”
South Sudan has been battling a countrywide cholera outbreak since September 2024. According to the World Health Organization, more than 75,000 cases and over 1,300 deaths have been.
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