UN awaits Khartoum’s green light to deliver aid to Sudan via Chad

The United Nations (UN) on Friday welcomed Sudan’s decision to reopen the Adre Crossing between Chad and Darfur and is mobilising to prepare for the delivery of humanitarian aid as soon as the government gives the green light.

The fighting broke out in Sudan in mid-April 2023 between the army led by Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, who is also the head of the Sovereignty Council and the country’s de facto ruler, and the Rapid Support Forces led by his former ally and deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti.

In Washington, US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel announced on Thursday that the Adre Crossing, which has been closed for months, will be reopened, following a phone call between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Burhan.

Spokesperson for the UN World Food Programme in Sudan Leni Kinzli expressed in a press conference on Friday that the organisation “welcomes this news”.

Speaking by video conference from Nairobi, Kinzli added: “Two convoys with nearly 6,000 metric tonnes of food and nutrition supplies for around half a million people are being loaded, destined for risk-of-famine areas in north, central and west Darfur states as soon as official Government communication and clearances are received.”

Kinzli also noted that trucks are expected to pass through the crossing every day to ensure regular access to aid in the area and that the announcement comes at a critical time. The only other border crossing between Chad and Darfur, through the town of Tine, has become impassable due to heavy rains.

Currently: “More than 50 trucks carrying an estimated 4,800 metric tons of food and nutrition assistance, enough for around half a million people, are stuck in various locations across Sudan and unable to move toward their final destinations due to flooded and impassable roads,” said Kinzli, who insisted “WFP needs all other crossings into Sudan to open urgently so that it can use all possible supply routes to deliver humanitarian assistance.”

READ: Sudan to reopen Adre border crossing for three months to facilitate aid delivery