Sudan has reported 2,345 new cholera infections and 21 related deaths in the past week, as the country’s deepening humanitarian crisis continues to take a heavy toll on its population, especially children.

According to a statement released Tuesday by the Sudanese Health Ministry, the new figures bring the total number of cholera cases since August 2024 to 96,681, with 2,408 confirmed deaths. The majority of the latest infections were recorded in Tawila, a region in North Darfur State.

The outbreak adds another layer to the suffering of civilians already grappling with more than a year of armed conflict between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Since April 2023, the war has killed thousands and displaced millions, with some research estimating the death toll at about 130,000.

On Sunday, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) raised alarms about the dire conditions facing Sudan’s youngest. More than 640,000 children under the age of five in North Darfur are now at high risk of violence, hunger, and disease, including cholera.

UNICEF’s representative in Sudan, Sheldon Yett, called the situation a “looming catastrophe” and said children are increasingly dying from hunger, disease, and direct violence while being cut off from essential services.

“This is not just hypothetical. It is a looming catastrophe,” Yett said during a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday. “We are on the verge of irreversible damage to an entire generation of children.”

Yett said access to basic needs like clean water, food, healthcare, and education is shrinking fast. “Malnutrition is rife, and children are reduced to just skin and bones,” he added.

He urged the international community not to ignore the crisis and called for sustained humanitarian access and renewed diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.

“The world must not look away, not now,” he said. “While the conflict endures, we must do everything possible to protect and support Sudan’s children. We cannot let them pay the ultimate price.”