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August 17, 2024 (New York) – United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the decision of Sudanese authorities to reopen a key corridor for aid to enter the country, his spokesman said on Saturday.
The Adre border crossing, the most direct and effective way to deliver humanitarian assistance to millions of people facing unprecedented hunger in Sudan’s Darfur region, has been closed for much of this year.
The recent Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) assessment by the Famine Review Committee (FRC) concluded that famine conditions are widespread in parts of North Darfur, including in the Zam Zam refugee camp in El Fasher.
The escalating violence in Sudan has lasted for more than 15 months, seriously hindering the implementation of humanitarian assistance and leading to a further deterioration of the situation.
The Zam Zam Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camp, located south of the town of El Fasher, is one of the largest IDP camps, with an estimated population of at least 500,000 people.
“The secretary-general stressed the importance of concrete, sustained measures to facilitate humanitarian access and protect civilians, consistent with the Sudanese parties’ obligations under international humanitarian law and previously agreed modalities,” said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
“Humanitarian organizations must have full, safe and unhindered access to all civilians in need in Darfur and across the country,” he added.
The United Nations is committed to working fully with all relevant stakeholders to help end the conflict in Sudan and alleviate the suffering of the people.
In February this year, Sudanese authorities revoked permission to use the Adre crossing, leaving the Tine crossing as the only route for humanitarian aid to be delivered across the border from Chad.
Meanwhile, the World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed the news of the reopening of the border, stressing that the development will enable the agency to expand assistance to 14 regions facing famine, including Darfur, Kordofan, Khartoum and Al Jazira.
The World Food Programme stressed that its goal is to support 8.4 million people by the end of this year.
Since the conflict broke out in Sudan in mid-April 2023, the World Food Programme has been warning that the hunger crisis will continue to worsen and calling on the warring parties to allow humanitarian aid to enter.
(English stone)
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