Cholera claims 30 lives and infects 800 in West Kordofan, Sudan
The country is suffering from a severe shortage of medicines
Written by: Ayman Ragab
The Dar Humr Emergency Chamber Authority in Sudan announced on Sunday the deaths of 30 citizens and the injury of 800 others from cholera in West Kordofan state in the west of the country, since the outbreak of the epidemic on June 20.
The authority stated in a statement that the cholera epidemic spread in the localities of Wad Banda and Al-Nahud and their surrounding villages in West Kordofan state, noting that the statistics were recorded in more than 25 villages.
Complete shortage of diabetes medication
The emergency room warned of a complete shortage of diabetes medication for patients in the northern provinces of West Kordofan state, which further complicates the health situation in the region.
The authority appealed to humanitarian organizations and health authorities for urgent intervention to provide the necessary medicines, solutions, and medical supplies to contain the epidemic. It also called on citizens to exercise caution and adhere to cholera prevention guidelines.
The Sudanese Ministry of Health announced last Tuesday that it had recorded 911 cholera cases in the states of West and North Kordofan, including 127 deaths.
The Central Bank of Sudan withdraws 6 denominations from circulation amid the greatest collapse of the pound in its history.
In another context, the Bank of Sudan announced the withdrawal of six currency denominations from circulation, a move that comes after the Sudanese pound recorded its biggest collapse in history, reflecting the depth of the monetary and economic crisis that worsened during the war and rendered the small denominations largely worthless.
The bank clarified, in a statement issued Saturday, that the denominations withdrawn include 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 pounds, indicating that the decision comes within the framework of “organizing the denominational composition of the currency in line with the economic reality.”.
The bank indicated that the deadline for replacing these denominations extends until July 30, 2026. Replacement will be through deposits into bank accounts at commercial bank branches only and at face value. Direct cash exchanges will not be permitted, and these denominations will remain valid for circulation during the specified period before losing their legal tender status upon expiry.
The decision comes at a time when the dollar exchange rate in the parallel market has reached about 5,500 pounds, marking the steepest decline in the Sudanese pound, reflecting the escalating economic and monetary crisis, widening fiscal imbalances, and declining confidence in economic policies.
Economists see this move not as a monetary reform, but rather as a reflection of a reality imposed by the significant collapse in the value of the pound, after small denominations lost their purchasing power and became practically unusable as a result of inflation and the sharp decline in the exchange rate.
