Restoration of Humanitarian Assistance in Conflict-Ridden Darfur, Sudan, Following a Six-Month Long Border Shutdown
The UN's food agency declared on Wednesday that the initial batch of vital food supplies, loaded onto trucks, had touched down in Darfur from neighboring Chad via the revived Adre border. These supplies are destined for the 13,000 folks in Kereneik, Darfur, who are on the brink of famine, as per the World Food Programme (WFP).
The WFP stated, "We have provisions for nutrition and food to cater to approximately 500,000 individuals, which can be swiftly dispatched via the freshly reopened route."
Since the outbreak of civil war in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), over 10 million people have been forced to flee their homes, and at least 18,000 lives have been lost, as per the UN's Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Now, over half the nation's population finds themselves battling acute hunger, OCHA reported in a statement last month.
The Adre border crossing presents the most straightforward and efficient means of delivering aid to Darfur from Chad, enabling trucks to reach crucial distribution centers within a day. However, during the border's closure, the WFP could only manage to send two convoys via Adre, relying instead on lengthier, riskier routes that frequently navigated conflict zones managed by diverse militia groups.
Last week, the Sudanese administration consented to open key border crossings for humanitarian aid under international pressure.
Sudan's Sovereign Council revealed their plan to reopen the Adre crossing on the country's border with Chad for three months, following its closure by the Sudanese military in February, who alleged that the crossing was being used to transport weapons.
According to the UN OCHA, 26 million people in Sudan require assistance — over half of the country's population.
The World Food Programme's supplies, aimed at the Darfur population, are a beacon of hope amidst Africa's ongoing humanitarian crisis. The world's attention should be focused on Sudan, where over half the population is currently battling acute hunger.
