UN organisation urges safe passage for food aid to Sudanese states

Port Sudan (The Uttam Hindu): The World Food Programme (WFP), an international organisation within the UN that provides food assistance worldwide, urged safe passage for food aid to Sudan's North Darfur and South Kordofan states. "For the first time in months there are multiple WFP convoys of food aid heading to Zamzam in North Darfur, where famine was confirmed, and Kadugli in South Kordofan," the WFP said on social media platform X. "We have the food, we have the trucks, and we have the staff on board to ensure this aid gets there," it said, adding, "Now, we need all warring parties and armed groups to allow this vital food and nutrition to arrive safely."

On Wednesday, the Sudanese government decided to extend the opening of the Adre border crossing with Chad for three months to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the war-affected population in the country. The government said later on Wednesday that 28.9 million people in Sudan need humanitarian assistance due to the ongoing civil war, among whom 16.9 million are in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance, requiring about 840,000 metric tonnes of assistance in the next two months. The government closed the Adre land border crossing in February, accusing the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) of using it to transport weapons.

Sudan's Transitional Sovereign Council on August 15 announced the decision to reopen the Adre crossing for three months. Sudan has been gripped by a devastating conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the RSF since mid-April 2023. According to UN estimates, about 25.6 million people -- more than half of Sudan's population -- face acute hunger amid the ongoing conflict, including over 755,000 on the brink of famine.