The UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Tom Fletcher, has expressed deep concern over the ongoing drone strikes in Port Sudan, which is a hub for the global body’s humanitarian operations and a key entry point for aid into Sudan.
Speaking during a briefing on Wednesday, Stephanie Tremblay, Associate Spokesperson for Secretary-General António Guterres, said Fletcher stressed that international humanitarian law must be respected and that constant care must be taken to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure.
“Flights of the UN Humanitarian Air Services (UNHAS) to and from Port Sudan have been suspended since 4 May. The World Food Programme, which manages UNHAS, says it will resume air operations as soon as conditions allow,” she said. “These disruptions are impacting the movement of humanitarian personnel into Sudan and onward to other parts of the country, further straining the delivery of urgently needed assistance.”
Tremblay added that OCHA reports that drone attacks have also affected the states of Kassala and River Nile. “Earlier this week in Kassala, strikes near the airport displaced about 2,900 people and led to the temporary suspension or relocation of some aid activities,” she stated. “Meanwhile, River Nile State is still facing a power blackout following a drone strike on the transformer station in Atbara on 25 April.”
“The outage is contributing to growing fuel and bread shortages and long queues at petrol stations and bakeries,” Tremblay concluded.