Food deliveries have restarted in Sudan’s famine-stricken Darfur region following the reopening of a critical border crossing by Sudanese authorities after a six-month shutdown due to ongoing civil conflict.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced on Wednesday that a convoy of trucks carrying vital food supplies has successfully reached Darfur from Chad through the reopened Adre border crossing. These supplies are designated for 13,000 people in Kereneik, Darfur, who are facing an immediate risk of famine.
Since the civil war erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), over 10 million people have been displaced, and at least 18,000 have died, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). More than half of Sudan’s population is now experiencing severe hunger, as reported by the OCHA last month.
The reopening of the Adre crossing provides the quickest and most direct route for delivering aid from Chad to Darfur, allowing trucks to reach essential distribution points in a single day. While the border was closed, the WFP managed only two convoys via Adre and had to use longer, more hazardous routes often controlled by armed militias.
The decision to reopen key border crossings for humanitarian assistance came last week after the Sudanese government faced increasing international pressure. Sudan’s Sovereign Council announced that the Adre crossing, which had been closed by the Sudanese army in February over allegations of weapons smuggling, would remain open for humanitarian aid for the next three months.
According to the UN OCHA, 26 million people in Sudan are currently in need of assistance, representing more than half of the country’s total population.
Source: Ghana Web
