Aid for the Sudanese region of Darfur is stuck
Urgently needed humanitarian supplies for the drought-threatened Sudanese region of Darfur are stuck, according to UN estimates. A crucial supply route has been disrupted due to heavy rainfalls, UN World Food Programme (WFP) Country Director for the United Nations, Eddie Rowe, told Reuters. Thousands of tonnes of humanitarian supplies are stockpiled at the Tina border crossing with Chad. This has prompted the organization to resume talks with the government, which is allied with the army.
Regarding the opening of an alternative, all-weather crossing further south named Adre, Rowe added, "They have these huge rivers. While I'm speaking now, our convoy, which is supposed to carry over 2000 tonnes, is stranded."
As for the status of the talks, which resumed this week, Rowe replied, "It's 50-50."
The WFP is now seeking permission to transport a large convoy of 70 trucks over a little-used, over 1000 km long route from Port Sudan to Darfur. The route must cross the combat lines of the Sudanese military, the RSF rebels, and various militias, according to Rowe.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned of a famine in the civil war-torn country of Sudan in June. For almost a year, the Sudanese army and the paramilitary militia RSF have been engaged in a bloody power struggle in this eastern African nation. The United Nations refers to it as the greatest refugee crisis in the world: nearly ten million people have been displaced within the country, and an additional two million have fled to neighboring countries.
The disruption of the crucial supply route has resulted in a substantial amount of aid supplies being stuck at the Tina border crossing with Chad, which is situated in the drought-threatened Sudanese region of Darfur. The resumed talks with the government aim to find an alternative route, such as the all-weather crossing Adre, to ensure the safe delivery of these much-needed famine relief supplies.
