Cholera outbreak in Sudan as humanitarian routes cut off

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00:00Mediators at peace talks in Switzerland focused on Sudan's civil war are trying to open up three

00:06humanitarian routes that could allow relief into more than 20 million people currently cut off

00:11from food and medical aid. 16 months of battling in Sudan have sparked several crises and health

00:18workers have warned just this week that dozens of people have died as the specter of cholera

00:23becomes increasingly evident. With limited resources, doctors do their best to treat

00:32patients at this hospital in the eastern Sudanese state of Kusala, where several people have died

00:37from cholera. After weeks of heavy rain, the war-torn country's health ministry has declared

00:43an epidemic of the disease, saying it's the result of weather conditions and contaminated

00:48drinking water.

00:52The problem in the area is that the vast majority of residents rely on river water as a source of

00:57drinking water, whereas it is polluted and needs treatment and this requires volunteers to treat

01:04the water. According to the WHO, the conflict, which broke out between the Sudanese army and

01:13paramilitary rapid support forces in April last year, has exacerbated infections including cholera.

01:20The fighting has also left more than half of the country's population facing food insecurity.

01:26Sudan's government has agreed to send a delegation to Cairo for talks about implementing a previous

01:31humanitarian deal agreed by the warring parties in May last year. Those on the ground say such

01:37a deal is more crucial than ever.

02:08On Thursday, the Sudanese government agreed to reopen the Adra crossing on the border with Chad,

02:14a vital route for humanitarian aid to enter the country.

02:18The UN's World Food Programme has said it is ready

02:20to start delivering nearly 6,000 tonnes of food through the crossing.

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