Limited aid reaches Darfur as Sudan briefly opens Adre border crossing

By Ezekiel David

Just a trickle of desperately needed aid has entered Sudan’s hunger-stricken Darfur region, despite the Sudanese army temporarily lifting restrictions on the Adre border crossing.

This vital route from Chad, largely controlled by the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF), had been blocked since February due to allegations of arms smuggling.

While 131 aid trucks waited at the border, only 15 managed to cross before the Sudanese government halted further movement, demanding new procedural agreements.

The Sudanese government “instructed no more movements until procedures received yesterday are agreed,” according to Justin Brady, head of the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan.

In Kreinik, West Darfur, a region on the verge of famine, supplies sufficient to sustain 13,000 people have been confirmed by the World Food Programme (WFP). But the WFP stressed that there should be enough food on hand to feed 500,000 people, which serves as a sobering reminder of the extent of the need.

Over six million people in Darfur face food insecurity, part of a larger crisis engulfing Sudan, where over half the population lacks reliable access to food.

Although the RSF, accused of looting aid in the past, welcomed the deliveries, the situation remains precarious. New government-imposed procedures, including stringent inspections, threaten to further impede the flow of vital aid to the region.

(Source: Reuters)